Why We Fight
by SabakuHinata97
Summary: Sequel to 'Demons': Rated M for mild language and sexual content. GaaHina, SasuSaku, NejiTen, ShinoIno, and ShikaTema. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

"_N--Naruto-kun, what's wrong with you…?!" _

"_HRRRRRRRRRRRAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"_

"_Stay here…"_

"_Gaara…"_

Hinata jumped up with a slight scream, and looked around. She was still in her bedroom, the moon shining in through the window.

_It…It was a dream…_Hinata thought, relieved. She slouched forward, and stared down at her hands. It had been seven months since the incident with Naruto--Since he and Gaara had been locked in demon combat, and Naruto had disappeared. Was he alive? What was he doing? Where had he gone? There were so many unanswered questions all of Konoha had.

Not only that, but the battle had an effect on Gaara as well. Gaara had suddenly become darker and more arrogant. He had gone back to Suna--He had a "responsibility as Kazekage", or so he called it. Hinata sighed, and lay back down, falling off into her sleep once again.

……………………………….

Gaara sat at his desk, silently working on paperwork that was given to him, as he was Kazekage. He sighed, put down the pencil he was writing with, and stared off into the distance. He needed to see her again. Only this time, something else crossed his mind. His dark eyes narrowed--He wanted to go back to Konoha. He wanted her with an untamed lust that couldn't be controlled.

Gaara shook his head, swinging back into reality, and focused back at his paperwork. Suddenly, a woman with dirty blonde hair walked into the room, a large fan hauled over her back.

"What is it, Temari?" Gaara said carelessly, still slightly in two worlds at the same time.

"I came to remind you," She said impudently, "That we are going to see the Hokage tomorrow. You always forget things like this, Gaara."

Gaara looked up at his sister. She was right--Of course he had forgotten. His dark mood had put him in a quieter and more careless mood for the past seven months. That's why he had left Hinata for his job as Kazekage--He just didn't really care anymore. It was like he had a disease that was slowly tearing away at him…

"GAARA!" Temari shouted. Gaara shook his head, snapping into his senses. Temari frowned at him, and sighed.

"Forget it, Gaara…You really shouldn't have given her up," Temari turned to walk away, when a writhing snake of sand held her feet down to the ground. Gaara glared angrily at her.

"You think my mood," Gaara continued, standing up. "Has anything to do with her?!"

Temari glared at her brother, not a hint of fear in her face. "Let me go."

Gaara scowled for a second, and then made his sand release his sister. "Get out."

Temari left, and Gaara fell back onto his chair.

_Damn it…_

……………………………….

_Click._ The door closed behind Sakura as she left her home. She began to walk down the stone street, passing many new and old buildings on the way. It was early morning, and her new outfit really wasn't suiting her well against the chilly atmosphere. She wore a red vest over a black t-shirt, and her capris were dark blue, going down to her knees. Sakura looked around her empty environment as she continued forward--How she enjoyed quiet walks by herself.

Then, she stopped. She stared down the forest path before her--The path where it had all began. Where Naruto had been discovered as the killer, but not on his own will. It was his demon's fault--Its emotions had driven him to kill innocent people. Sakura thought of all the good and bad things that had happened since then: Shikamaru and Ino hooking up--Then breaking up again. Shikamaru had become a Jonin, and Ino had gone her way to continue taking on the Yamanaka flower business. Then, Gaara stopped caring about everything, and he went back to his duties in Sunagakure. Hinata had gotten over him since his departure, but Sakura knew that she was still broken on the inside. At least Neji and TenTen were still together--Their relationship had gone along quite smoothly, and rumors were wildly flying around that Neji was going to ask TenTen about "the big M" soon, even though Neji repeatedly denied it.

Then, there was Sasuke and herself. Sakura smiled--They were still going steady as well. Though they didn't see each other often, since Sasuke was usually away--He was trying to find Naruto.

"Naruto came to find me when I went after Orochimaru," Sasuke had said. "It's my duty now to find him as well."

Occasionally, Sasuke would come back to Konoha to be with her and his friends. For now, he was still searching. Sakura sighed, and jerked her head up when she heard someone shout her name. She turned around to see a black-haired man running towards her, wearing a white tank-top and green shorts, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail. Yes--This was Lee seven months later. He had changed drastically--His long hair, his more muscular stature. Sakura smiled, and waited for Lee to catch up to her.

"Hey," he said, smiling. "I'm going over to meet Neji and TenTen in the courtyard. Want to come?"

Sakura smiled, and nodded. "That would be nice," she said happily.

……………………………….

The black, spiky haired ninja stood at the top of the waterfall, looking down of the edge. He lifted his head, and stared off into the distance, looking for any trace of his friend. Huffing, he jumped back into the forest, running along the branches of the trees. He smiled as he ran forward--It was funny that they had once been worst enemies, Naruto and himself. A few years ago, when he ran off to find Orochimaru, Naruto had come for him. Now, when Naruto had disappeared after the fight with Gaara, he was coming for Naruto.

The Leaf Ninja jumped down from the array of trees, and stood in a clearing--The same clearing where Gaara and Hinata had been discovered together so long ago. He bowed his head, listening to the environment around him, and then he knew--There was someone behind him.

"You just don't give up, do you Sasuke?" the person said in a hoarse tone.

Sasuke chuckled softly. "I can't give up--I have a debt to a friend that needs me."

The person behind him huffed sarcastically, and Sasuke could sense a tear roll down the person's face, splattering to the ground. "Sorry, Sasuke…I can never go back."

Sasuke's eyes widened, realizing who was behind him, and he whirled around. "NARUTO--!!!"

But Naruto had disappeared. Sasuke scowled in disappointment, thinking about what his friend had said.

_I can never go back…_

Sasuke lowered his head, staring at his hands. _But…Why? _

……………………………….

Lee and Sakura had arrived to the point where they were to meet their friends. Upon seeing Neji and TenTen, Sakura noted how much they had changed. Neji had become taller--His body had become more masculine, but had also become more graceful. His long, dark brown hair was no longer pulled back, and it hung freely around his shoulders. His headband was now made of black cloth instead of blue, but it was still wrapped tightly around his forehead where the dreaded curse mark was.

TenTen hadn't changed much. Her hair was still pulled back into two buns, but it was longer, and a few free strands of hair hung down. Her outfit was now composed of a blue shirt spotted with silver designs, and she wore black capris. A large scroll was also strapped to her across her back by a black strap with a silver buckle at the end.

"Sorry to spoil the fun," Neji said abruptly, "But there's been a change of plan."

Lee tilted his head to the side, his long ponytail moving along with it. "What do you mean? Are we going somewhere?"

TenTen nodded. "The Hokage just called all Chuunin and Jonin to the front gate. The Suna Kazekage is arriving for his meeting with Tsunade."

Sakura jumped on the inside. Did Hinata know that he was coming? And when she saw him, would she be able to control herself? Sakura nodded, and the four ninjas headed for the front gate.

……………………………….

Gaara watched as the front gates of Konohagakure appeared on the horizon. Kankuro and Temari followed him quietly as they hit a clearing in the forest they tramped through. Gaara stared around the clearing as he walked forward. As he turned his eyes toward a certain spot, he saw himself as he was seven months ago, as he cowered on the ground in pain, and as he repeatedly knocked the Hyuuga girl back as she reached out for him.

"Feh," Gaara spat, shaking his head and continuing to walk forward. Behind him, Kankuro turned to his sister.

"Hey," he whispered. "Do you think he's really gotten over his old girlfriend?"

Temari shook her head. "I'm not really sure. Sometimes I believe it, sometimes I don't. We'll just have to see his reaction if he sees her while we're in Konoha."

Kankuro nodded. "Yeah, I just hope--" he turned his eyes toward his brother. "That he doesn't do anything too rational."

Gaara shot his eyes at his brother and sister. "What, may I ask, is so interesting?"

Before Kankuro or Temari had to say anything, Gaara turned to watch a black-haired ninja appear out of the trees before them. The ninja smiled.

"Welcome back," he said, extending a hand toward the Kazekage. "Sabaku no Gaara."

The Kazekage nodded, replying to the Leaf Ninja's extended had with a firm handshake.

"It's been a while, Uchiha Sasuke."

……………………………….

Hinata had finally arrived at the gates--She had been called upon by Tsunade. The Hokage had said someone important was coming to meet with her, and Hinata anticipated knowing who it was. What if it was a ninja from the Land of the Clouds or something like that? At least Neji would have someone else to despise.

Hinata's long, black hair fluttered behind her as she approached the Hokage. Tsunade turned, and smiled.

"There you are, Hinata!" Tsunade said. Hinata bowed slightly, and nervously spoke up.

"M--May I inquire to ask who exactly is coming to meet with you?" Hinata said quietly.

Tsunade tilted an eyebrow. "You mean, YOU don't know? It's the Kazekage from Suna! I was expecting EVERYONE would tell you."

Hinata stumbled back. Gaara was here?! No…She didn't want him to break her. Not again. Then, Hinata saw him. He walked straight up to Tsunade.

"Good day, Hokage-sama," He said, until turning his attention to Hinata, who was now being watched by the other ninja who had just arrived.

He stared at her.

She stared at him.

Here they were--AGAIN.

Hinata suddenly burst into a full-speed run. She ran away from the gates--There was no way she was going to confront Gaara now--After he had run away for his duty?! Hinata turned one last glance at the front gate as she ran. Everyone watched her--Including Gaara.


	2. Chapter 2

Tsunade turned back to Gaara. "I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama. I don't know what's wrong with her all of a sudden…"

Gaara shook his head. "It's not a problem."

Sakura was still staring after Hinata, when a voice called to her from behind.

"Sakura?" Recognizing the voice, Sakura turned to see Sasuke smiling down at her. "It's been a while." Sakura smiled happily, and quickly embraced the Leaf Ninja in a tight hug.

"Sasuke, you're back!" she shouted happily. Sakura released her hold on the ninja. "So, how have you been? Did you have any luck?"

Sasuke frowned. _Should I tell her that I saw him? No…I couldn't bring him back…_Sasuke shook his head. "I haven't found him--Not yet."

Sakura sighed, frowned a little, and then smiled again. "I'm sure we'll find him soon…"

Sasuke could see that she was slightly disappointed. "Hey, c'mon, it'll be okay," he said, putting an arm around her shoulder. "For now, let's extend our greetings to the Kazekage." Sakura nodded.

……………………………….

Hinata had run into the forest--She didn't want to be where Gaara was. Leaning against a tree, she slid down to the ground, and curled up into a ball. Hinata had gotten over him, and now he was back? Back to torment her with his darkness, which seemed to consume every inch of her? Hinata began to talk quietly to herself.

"Why…? Why do things have to be this way?!" she said bitterly. "I--I had gotten over him…And now he's come back?! Why can't he just leave me alone? Why can't my emotions leave me alone?!"

"Hinata…"

Hinata jerked her head up--It was Neji. Hinata quickly pulled the hair hanging over her face back, and made herself look as calm as possible. "Y--Yes, cousin?"

Neji sighed, and sat down next to her. He looked at his cousin's face--Her face was slightly wet from where tears had come down, and she was trembling. Was it possible for just one man to do this? Neji frowned, and then stared off into the distance.

"Does he really hurt you that much?" Neji said suddenly. Hinata turned her eyes toward him.

"I--It's not that he's hurting me…It's just..."Hinata hesitated. "…I had gotten over him…I didn't care what his problems were anymore…And now…He's back…Back to torment me with his image…"

Neji stood up, and extended a hand toward Hinata. She took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet.

"Maybe," he said calmly, "You just need to give him a chance."

And with that, Neji walked away.

……………………………….

Gaara sat at the table outside with Naruto, Lee, Sakura, Sasuke, and probably every other Chuunin and Jonin that he had known since the Chuunin exams, other than the ones that were already dead or had left. He had one day before his meeting with Tsunade and some other Jonin, and he had this one day to spend with the others. He listened silently as the others talked. Suddenly, something more peaked his interest. He and the other ninjas looked up as Neji and Hinata approached the table. Neji took a seat next to TenTen, while Hinata sat nervously down next to Naruto and Gaara.

Hinata dare not look up at the Sand Kazekage next to her. She did not want to look into his eyes, admire his scarlet hair, or have anything to do with him. Gaara, on the other hand, continued absentmindedly to stare at the Hyuuga next to him. It had been seven months since he had last saw her, and the urge to touch her was already flooding his mind and body--He resisted with all his strength, but continued to stare at her.

Hinata could feel his stare burning into the side of her face. She clenched her hands tightly, and struggled to resist looking up. The voices of the people around her became blurs, and she ignored time itself as she continued to resist him. Suddenly, she felt a hand slowly run its fingers through her long hair and down her back. She couldn't resist anymore. Hinata turned her head and stared into the cold, aquamarine eyes of Sabaku no Gaara.

She simply stared. She was entranced by his gaze--The gaze she had fallen in love with so long ago. Although she could do nothing but stare into the Kazekage's eyes, she could still feel his hand running down her back, until he reached her thigh. Hinata did not want him to touch her like this, but she couldn't move, and no one at the table could see what he was doing--Then, outside of the madness roaring silently between the two, Neji could sense that there was something wrong. Quietly, he activated the Byakugan to see what exactly Gaara was doing that he couldn't see--

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY COUSIN, YOU SICK DEMON!!!!"

The whole table turned to Neji, and then turned to Gaara and Hinata. Hinata had broken from Gaara's gaze--Her face was now turned down, tears streaming slowly down her face. Gaara simply glared at Neji, and removed his hand from Hinata's thigh. He stood up, and left the table. Hinata shuddered, and Neji shot up from where he sat to his cousin's side.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," he said bitterly. "I shouldn't have trusted him so."

Hinata shook a little, and then looked up. "I--Its okay, it's not your fault." She stood up, and began to walk off. "I'm g-going home…"

……………………………….

_KABLAM!!!!!_

A large tree fell at Gaara's feet. Sand was flying restlessly from the gourd on his back, crushing every tree and bush it spotted. Soon, he had created a clearing in the middle of the forest. He fell to his knees, exhausted, and panted heavily. Why had Hinata gotten so upset at him for how he touched her? Why had she rejected him?! Gaara was in a world of confusion, as the Shukaku began to echo in his head once again.

_See what happens when you love, Gaara? You just get rejected and looked down at._

Gaara scowled. "But--Why?!"

_She doesn't trust you anymore, Gaara. She doesn't want you. She HATES you._

Gaara shook his head fiercely. "No--There has to be another reason!!"

_Go to her in the night, Gaara. Hurt her. Make her tell you why she doesn't love you. _

Gaara's eyes darkened. "Yes…I'll make her tell me…"

_Good…Now go._

Gaara stood up off the ground, eyes emotionless, and walked out into the forest toward the Hyuuga Household.

……………………………….

Kankuro and Temari finally met up again on another street. They had been searching for Gaara for what felt like hours. They had searched all over Konoha, asked every citizen if they had seen him, and searched every building.

"We're never going to find that jerk!" Kankuro said fiercely. "Maybe we should just wait for him to come back."

Temari scoffed. "And wait for him to kill someone and get bombed for it? I think we'll keep looking."

Kankuro grumbled. "He's probably just cooling off after what happened with him and Hinata earlier! Remember, at the table?"

Temari turned to her brother, interested. "I wasn't there, remember? What happened?"

Kankuro snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, you were off talking to that one Jonin guy! Anyways, Gaara was putting his hand on Hinata in places it shouldn't be, and Neji caught him, and shouted at him. But I swear! That should was like hell, man--Even Gaara looked scared!"

Temari chuckled. "What did Gaara do, huh?"

Kankuro shrugged. "I dunno, he just glared at Neji and walked off! I do remember him giving one last look at Hinata, tho--!!" Temari slapped a hand over Kankuro's mouth.

"He WHAT?!?!" Temari's eyes were wide. "Damn it, Kankuro, you should've stopped him!!!" Temari began to run towards the streets.

Kankuro was confused. "What is it? What's going on?!" Temari shouted back to her brother as she ran.

"He's going to KILL her!!!!"

……………………………….

Hinata lay quietly in her bed. Her eyes were closed, but she could not sleep. Even though she was comfortable under her soft covers and in the satin purple night gown she wore that went down to her knees, she was wide awake. What was wrong with Gaara? Was he still affectionate for her? Or was he just lusting for her?

Hinata sat up, and stared out the window. The sun had begun to set, and her household was empty. Her father was talking to the Hokage, Hanabi was out training, and Neji was hanging out with his girlfriend. She sighed, and shook her head. What did she fear Gaara for? There was no way he could hurt her--Or could he? Hinata shook off the feeling and lay back down.

Meanwhile, in a dark corner of her room, a figure silently stepped out of the shadows. It made its way over to Hinata's side. She had not noticed his approach, and he was now looming over her like a ghost. The voice of the demon echoed in his head.

_Time to make her pay, Sabaku no Gaara…_

Gaara nodded. Silently, he tightly put his hand over her mouth. Hinata's eyes flew open, and she let out a muffled scream--Then, she saw the face of her attacker. He knew she was calm, and he moved his hand from her mouth to her arm, holding her down.

"G--Gaara?!" Hinata exclaimed. "What are you doing here…?"

Gaara said nothing. Hinata felt him pressing harder against her arm, when he suddenly leaned forward and brushed his lips across her cheek, moving toward her ear to whisper his words to her.

"It's been too long," he said quietly.

Hinata frowned slightly. "What…What do you mean…?" Suddenly, Gaara had driven her into a kiss. Hinata was shocked--She wanted to pull away, but his kisses were so intense, so lusting, that he wouldn't allow her to pull away. His hand tightened on her arm, as his other hand began to push up the bottom of her nightgown past her legs. Hinata yelped as she realized what he was doing.

She wasn't going to let him do this. Hinata frantically reached up to his chest and tried to push him away, but he only continued to slide off her nightgown, tracing his hand down the ivory skin his actions had revealed. Hinata couldn't think straight--Gaara, the one she had loved so long ago, was trying to _rape _her. Why had his feeling changed so quickly from care to lust? Hinata cried out as she realized that she was completely naked, with Gaara placing small bites on her neck as he reached down to undo his black pants. He growled possessively into Hinata's ear as she cried.

"…You are mine…"

Hinata couldn't fight anymore. She began to cry and whimper softly as she felt him trespassing her body, pulling her toward him to force her to arch her back and move along with him as he forced himself into her. Hinata began to black out from the unwanted sensations, when…

_KABAM!!! _

Gaara was off of her in an instant when Temari, Kankuro, Neji and Hiashi had burst into her room. Hinata quickly pulled her covers over her naked body and cried softly, wishing what had just happened had never did. Gaara glared at her, and then turned back at the group who had entered in, staring at him and the beaten form that sat on her bed. Neji growled angrily, and lunged at Gaara (who was still not wearing any clothes, if I may add o.o)

"You bastard!!!" Neji screamed as he tore at Gaara. "I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!" Gaara simply took Neji down with a blast of sand. Neji lay pinned to the ground, struggling angrily to get free. Gaara walked calmly to his clothes, pulling his pants back on and carrying his shirt over his shoulder, and walked casually out of the door. Temari sighed angrily, and she and Kankuro gave chase after their brother. Hiashi watched as Neji broke free of the sand, and ran over to his cousin, cradling her close to him. Hiashi's eye twitched.

_What has he done…?_


	3. Chapter 3

"WHAT IN YOUR RIGHT MIND IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Temari was furious with her brother. She slapped him across the face, leaving a red mark. Gaara simply turned his eyes back at her every time she hit him. Temari was extremely upset, and she glared angrily at him.

"What is WRONG with you?! You loved--LOVED--that girl seven months ago! What has changed now?! I mean, you tried--No, you RAPED her!!!! Thank God we came in when we did, or who knows what you would've done!?"

Temari began stomping around the apartment room where Gaara had been staying. Kankuro sat on a couch nearby.

"Be lucky that Hiashi agreed not to tell anybody…THIS time," Kankuro said abruptly. "But, I swear, if you ever pull another stunt like that, we're done for."

"You make it sound as if you barely care!" Temari shouted at Kankuro. Gaara continued to stand in his place, showing no signs of emotion. Suddenly, Temari turned to Gaara, tears welling up in her eyes.

"What happened to you, Gaara? Why…Why did you change like this after Naruto disappeared?"

Gaara turned his deep eyes toward his sister. "I changed…Because _it_ asked me to."

Gaara walked out of the apartment without a word.

……………………………….

Hinata woke up from her unconsciousness. She saw the white ceiling of her hospital room where her father and Neji had taken her. She slowly sat up, and winced--She felt as if the inside of her stomach had been torn apart. Hinata pulled some of her long, raven hair out of her face--Then she was brought to reality. What Gaara had done--She gasped inwardly, and put a hand up to her mouth.

"You're going to be okay."

Hinata looked up to see her cousin, Neji.

"Oh, hi, Neji…" Hinata said softly. "What--What do you mean I'm going to be okay?"

Neji sighed. "You haven't been damaged, and you aren't pregnant. You'll be fine."

Hinata smiled, and nodded. "That's a relief--Wait…Who knows about this?!"

Neji chuckled at his cousin's spasm. "No one knows but us, your father, and the Sabaku siblings. No one will ever find out."

Hinata sighed. "What a relief…When can I leave this hospital?" Neji got up to leave.

"You can leave when you wish, Hinata. If you still want to stay here for awhile, that's fine." And with that, Neji left.

Hinata shifted comfortably in her hospital bed. Finally, she could rest in peace--Or so she thought. A hand placed itself on her cheek.

"You look well."

Hinata shot back up to face her visitor. Of course, it just _had_ to be Gaara. He stood, looming darkly over her. Hinata examined his stance--He just stood there, trying to look like he was badass. She couldn't take it anymore. Hinata jumped off her bed, and glared angrily at him.

"WHY?!?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!" she shouted hysterically. "What HAPPENED to the you I fell in LOVE with seven months ago?!?!"

Gaara just stared at her--His eyes remained emotionless. Hinata started to sob through her words, tears coming down her eyes.

"I was--So happy when you came back…" she sobbed. "I thought we--We could be together again! But you…" Hinata shook her head, tears flying from her face, spattering the floor. "But you VIOLATED me in the worst, most unloving way possible! It's as if…" she fell to her knees. "It's as if you never even cared about me…It's as if you're just lusting for me…"

Hinata stared down at the ground, tears falling from her eyes. Suddenly, a hand moved under her chin and lifted her head. Gaara had kneeled down in front of her--They were both kneeling, one in front of the other, on the hospital room floor. Gaara stared coldly at Hinata, who now shivered with fear as he held her head up.

"…Don't be afraid of me," Gaara said abruptly. Hinata's shivering began to cease, and then the tears stopped flowing through her eyes. Her once sad expression turned into an expression of hate, anger, and frustration.

"I'm not." And with that, Hinata pushed away Gaara's hand and stormed out of the hospital room. Gaara stared down at the floor.

…_What have I done…?_

……………………………….

Kankuro and Temari roamed the streets, searching for their brother. Temari was asking a man whether he had seen him, while Kankuro lazily stood nearby, his arms folded. Temari left the man with an irritated look on her face.

"No luck," she huffed. "We're never going to find him!"

Kankuro's attention was somewhere else. "Look no further." Temari turned, and saw Gaara approaching them. Temari sighed.

"Gaara! We've been looking all over for you--?" Gaara shoved his way by his sister and brother, and stomped into the forest.

Kankuro frowned. "What's eating him?"

Temari shrugged. "I don't know, maybe he feels like a first-class HEEL for violating poor Hinata like that."

……………………………….

_FWAKAM!!!!_

A large crack was left in the side of the tree from where Lee had kicked. He was training in the forest just outside of Konoha, in a clearing where training dummies and padded trees had been set up. His white tank-top was now wet with perspiration, but his hair was still flawless. As he continued to train, Lee felt a sudden disturbance. He stood completely still. A rustle in the grass, and he was on his toes. In a flash, he had jumped onto the branch of a tree, glaring down at the environment around him.

_Where are you…? _He thought, referring to his predator. Suddenly, a sound filled the empty space, getting louder and louder.

_THWTHWTHWTHWTHW--KRAK!!!!!_

Lee panted heavily--A large blade like that of Zabuza's had barely missed his head, slicing into the tree behind him.

"Wha--?!" Lee jumped down from the branch, shooting his eyes around to detect any sign of movement.

_Whatever it is…It's everywhere! _Lee thought as he span in circles trying to find his hunter. And, then, the sound began to start up again.

_ThwThwThwThwThw…_

Lee withdrew a kunai from a pouch with no hesitation at all. He armed himself as the sound got louder.

_THWTHWTHWTHWTHWTHW…_

Lee sensed from which direction the sound was coming. He thrust up the kunai and whirled around.

_THWTHWTHW--CLANG!!!!_

The same sword from before landed at Lee's feet. Lee glared, and shouted out into the distance.

"Where are you?! Face me like a real ninja!"

Slowly, a man began to appear from the woods. He casually walked toward Lee, who examined the stranger. He had spiky, red-orange hair tipped with black. It was untamed, and it was semi-long, reaching down to the bottom of his neck. He wore a long, roughed-up overcoat of black leather, and he wore an orange t-shirt and blue jeans under it. A brown leather strap ran across his shoulder, holding up the sheath to his machete-like blade. His eyes were a mix of blue and red streaks, and a large scar went down one eye. He also wore a black scarf covering his face from his nose down to his chin, like Kakashi.

The man laughed in a dark, raspy voice. "It's been a while, my friend."

Lee scowled. "I don't know who you are of what you're talking about, but you're about to get it for trying to attack me!!!" Lee lunged at the ninja who, with a wave of his hand, summoned his sword back to him and blocked Lee's attack.

"You haven't lost your touch," the ninja said calmly.

Lee jumped back, far from his enemy. Without thinking, he threw a trio of kunai at the ninja.

CHK--CLANG!!! CLANG!!!

Lee's jaw dropped slightly--What the enemy had done was unbelievable. The ninja had caught on of the kunai in his vulpine-like teeth, swinging his head to knock away the other two kunai to the side. The animal-like man glared forward at Lee, a wicked smile on his face. He opened his mouth, releasing the kunai. Before he knew it, Lee was pinned up against a tree, the enemy's large sword clipping him onto the tree through his shoulder. Lee screamed in pain as blood began to run down his shoulder. The enemy ninja walked up to Lee.

"W…What are you?!" Lee stuttered in agony.

The ninja simply smiled. "…I'm sorry I hurt you."

Lee frowned--The pain in his shoulder was no longer significant.

"…What?" he questioned.

The red-orange haired ninja sighed. "I really thought you would recognize me, 'Bushy Brows'."

Lee's mouth hung open slightly, until his lips quietly formed a single word.

…_Naruto?_

……………………………….

Sakura sat on the bench at the edge of the forest. The trees were raining cherry blossom petals. Her head was slightly bowed down, her semi-short pink hair ebbing slightly down her shoulders. Sakura's clear green eyes stared down at the ground, watching as her tears fell along with the petals on the ground.

_Why did everything have to change so much?! _She thought frantically. _Naruto disappeared, I get that! But…That shouldn't have affected Gaara and Hinata's relationship, or anything else in the matter! _

And then, Sakura realized something truly for that first time.

**He loved you, Sakura. He really loved you. **

Sakura placed a hand over her mouth. "….No…"

**He loved you, and now he's gone--Hell, he could be dead. **

"Shut up!" Sakura said sadly.

She gasped as she saw a pair of feet before her--Someone was standing there, watching her.

"Why are you crying, Sakura?"

That voice--It sounded so familiar to her. Sakura slowly moved her eyes up to those familiar adoring eyes and strange lines over the cheeks, only now they were thicker. Sakura sighed, and smiled.

"It's good to see you back, Naruto…" Sakura smiled. Naruto slightly bowed his head.

"…I should go find Sasuke and apologize to him for running out on him awhile ago. Later, Sakura…"

Sakura watched as he walked off. She lowered her head once again, and another tear began to fall.

…_See, Naruto? Ever since you left, we all changed…Including yourself…_


	4. Chapter 4

Hinata walked down the streets without a word. Although the world around her was silent, her mind was screaming with unanswered questions.

_Why did he change for the worse…?_

_How could he lust for me like this…?_

_Why--Why did he do what he did to me…?!_

Hinata quickly wiped tears away from her face, staining her light grey and blue sweater. Suddenly, she quickly clenched a hand onto her lower abdomen. She was still in pain from what Gaara had forced her to do…Biting her bottom lip, she began to walk faster. Her eyes were focused on the ground, until she bumped straight into a person in her path. Stumbling back, she bowed in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir, I--!!" Hinata looked up to meet the eyes of an agitated Sasuke.

"Oh, hi, Sasuke--What's wrong?" Hinata tilted her head to the side as Sasuke shot a glance at her.

"You mean, you didn't hear?"

Hinata shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about…?"

Sasuke began to walk away. As he did, he said two words that sent Hinata's heart falling ten feet.

"Naruto's back."

Hinata stared out into nothingness. Her world went black, and she was alone standing in an abyss.

_Naruto's…Alive? _

Hinata gasped--A thought had come to her. Would Gaara go after Naruto to kill him once and for all?

_No…He couldn't…He wouldn't!!!!...Would he?_

And with that, Hinata ran off to find Naruto.

……………………………….

Gaara had heard correct. Naruto was back.

Gaara sat at his desk in the apartment, rubbing his head in frustration. His own voice and the voice of the Shukaku battled in his mind.

**So…That damned Kyuubi brat is back…**

_Yeah. Why does it have any importance to you?_

**He dared challenge us before…We should kill him, Gaara. Make him pay for the pain he inflicted on you, the damage he caused to your soul. _Kill him._**

_I can't…It wasn't his fault, and I only fought him to protect the life of that Hyuuga…_

**_Screw the Hyuuga!!! _Do this for _yourself!!! _**

…_I'll…Think about it…_

There was a knock on Gaara's door.

"Come in," he said carelessly. The door swung open, and a red-orange haired boy stepped it, a massive sword slung over his back. Without a word, he released his sword onto the floor and plopped down on the seat before Gaara's desk. With a cocky smile, he tilted his head as he stared at Gaara. Gaara leaned forward, resting his head on his fists.

"I heard you had come back, Naruto," he said calmly.

"Yeah," the boy replied. "Just after I paid a little visit to Lee, Sakura, and Sasuke, I decided to come over and say hi to my old buddy."

Gaara chuckled. "Well, a lot has changed since you left…And I mean a _lot_."

Gaara sighed. Naruto suddenly stood up. "Well," he said, smiling. "Everyone's waiting for me right now outside the Academy. Better go meet them…See you later, Gaara."

Gaara watched as Naruto walked out the door. The Shukaku echoed in his mind again.

**You blew your chance, Gaara. **

Gaara sighed. _I'm not going to kill him. _

…**You take the fun out of everything, you know that?**

Gaara chuckled. _Yeah, I know._

……………………………….

Hinata was now in the Academy Courtyard with all the other Chuunin and Jonin--They had all been gathered to celebrate Naruto coming back. Hinata watched as Naruto arrived, and happily greeted all of his friends.

_Thank goodness he's safe…_Hinata examined his stance. _But he's so…Different…_

Naruto walked up to Hinata, placing a hand on her shoulder. Hinata slightly blushed, gazing into the abyss of blue and red of his eyes.

"Nice to see you again, Hinata, my friend."

Hinata smiled. "It's nice to see you too, Naruto."

Finally, all the ninjas sat down at a large table, eating, drinking, and talking to Naruto, asking about what he had been doing. Hinata, nervously twisting around a cup of water, turned to Naruto.

"Naruto…" she said quietly. "I…I have a question…"

The whole group turned to her. Naruto smiled. "Yeah, what is it, Hinata?"

Hinata bowed her head a little. "You've been gone for so long…What have you been doing?"

Naruto hesitated, and looked at the others. He then smiled, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Ah, nowhere important. I've just been going wherever I came upon, meeting new people and learning new jutsu...Nothing much," he finished, taking a small sip of the sake before him. That was another thing Hinata noticed had changed about Naruto. He was drinking.

"So, guys…How have things been?" Naruto asked suddenly. Hinata turned to him, surprised. Naruto motioned his glass at Neji and TenTen.

"I can see you guys are going steady now…" Finally, he turned to Hinata.

"So what about you, Hinata? How are you and Gaara doing?"

Hinata bowed her head a little, looking down at her hands. Sighing, she got up and left the table--She didn't want anyone to see her cry. As she walked out of sight, Naruto looked about, confused.

"What?" he asked sadly. "What did I say??"

Sakura and Sasuke, who sat across from Naruto, said nothing. Neji turned his head away, for his mouth cringed in irritation. Finally, Temari, who was sitting nearby to Naruto, got up, got Naruto to his feet, and took him away from the table.

"What's going on?! What did I say…?" Naruto asked again.

Temari looked around, and hushed her voice to a whisper. "Right now, my brother is out looking for Gaara. I was supposed to keep this between me, my brothers, and the Hyuuga Household, but I think I can tell you."

Temari grabbed Naruto's collar, and pulled him forward to whisper in his ear.

"Naruto--Hinata and Gaara broke up a few days after you left. Something in him changed…He went back to going dark and emotionless. Gaara went back to Sunagakure to commit himself to his Kazekage duties…When we came back to Konoha a few days ago for a meeting with the Hokage…"

Temari stopped uncomfortably. Naruto stared at her.

"What is it, Temari?" Naruto said anxiously. "What did he do to her?"

Temari sighed. "He…He…He raped her, Naruto…"

Naruto took a few steps back. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Gaara--One of his most _trusted _friends--Left Hinata…And then, seven months later, he comes back and rapes her?!?!

"Damn it…" Naruto bit quietly. Temari shook her head.

"I'm going back to the table…" she said quietly. "Whatever you do, Naruto, don't tell anyone that you know this, or that I told you."

Naruto nodded. Temari went back to the table. Naruto considered joining them, but he stopped. He turned and walked off down the road, eyes redder than ever.

……………………………….

Gaara leaned back in his chair. His head was throbbing.

Placing both hands in his hair, he winced as the headache only got worse. He leaned forward once again, taking the empty glass and filling it on again, making this his sixth shot of sake. He quickly sucked it down, shaking his head as he leaned back again.

Though he was half-drunk, Gaara could still sense when someone was approaching his room. He stood up, stumbling a little to the side, and opened the door of his apartment before his guest had even gotten to knock. There at his door stood the one woman he thought would never look at him again: Hinata.

"What are you doing here…?" He said sullenly, teetering back and forth as he held his head.

"I…" Hinata hesitated, then realized the state he was it. "You…You're completely drunk…"

Gaara hiccupped. "….I have a headache."

He began to stumble back, until he finally blacked out.

……………………………….

_Ugh…? What happened…?_

Gaara sat up and looked around. He was lying on the couch of his apartment, a pillow tucked under his head. Suddenly, he heard someone come in the room from behind. Without hesitation, he jumped off of his resting place and got into a defensive position. Hinata stood there, staring at him, a bowl in her hand. Gaara stood up straight.

"…Hn…" he huffed. He sat back down on the couch, and winced as a throb shook his head.

_Great, _he thought unhappily. _Not only do I have a headache, now I have a hangover._ _Perfect. _

Hinata frowned. Why did she care that he was hurting? He had done more than hurt her: He had left her, and then had come back and raped her. Hinata shook her head, and sat down next to the Kazekage, placing the bowl on the ground. Gaara looked down--The bowl was full of hot water. Hinata withdrew a wet cloth from the bowl, strained it of excess water, and turned to Gaara. The Sand Ninja leaned away from her.

"Gaara, it's okay--This will help you with your headache," Hinata said reassuringly. Gaara simply stared at her with the most confused look on his face.

_Hinata is helping me…? After what the Shukaku told me to do to her…?_

Gaara sighed. He leaned hesitantly closer to Hinata. Hinata nervously reached out and placed the steaming cloth over his forehead.

"Lay down, Gaara," Hinata said. "You'll feel better--And the cloth won't fall off," she added as the wet cloth fell from his head. Gaara scoffed, and laid back again. Hinata sighed and got up to leave.

"Well, I'd better go. Later, Gaara…!" Hinata turned back as Gaara reached out for her hand. Hinata didn't move.

"Why are you helping me, Hinata…?" Gaara asked. "…I left you. I came back, and you thought all of your prayers had been answered."

Hinata closed her eyes shut as Gaara continued.

"…And then I did what no man should ever do, Hinata. I raped you--Stole you of your innocence. I went back to you after that--You pushed me away, like any other human being would do. So why are you caring for me?"

Hinata sighed. She adjusted the cloth on Gaara's forehead--The tips of his hair became damp where the warm water had gotten to it.

"Gaara, I…" Hinata hesitated, and then smiled softly. "…I know that in my heart I will never forgive you for what you did…But…My heart tells me that I still need to help you."

Gaara had enough--That was all she needed to say. Gaara, who still had a hold on her hand, pulled Hinata down to his level until his face was close to hers. Hinata bit her lower lip--She raised one of her hands close to her chest. Whatever he was about to do, she wasn't going to let him violate her again.

Gaara didn't do anything--He simply continued to stare into her deep, lavender eyes. Hinata turned slightly red--What on Earth was going on?! And then, from whatever impulse she got from his gaze or from some feeling from her heart, she closed the gap between their lips and kissed him. Gaara's eyes widened.

_What the hell is WRONG with her?! What doesn't she get about the whole "You shouldn't love me anymore" incident?!?!_

…But Gaara couldn't pull away. She had aroused a feeling inside of him. It was neither lust nor hate. Gaara sat up, bringing Hinata down to sit next to him, still keeping their kiss sealed.

"H…Hinata…" Gaara whispered, pulling away from her. "…You know we can't do this."

Hinata, snapping back into her senses, nodded and pulled away. "I…I guess you're right."

Gaara stared at her, and then placed a hand on her shoulder. "You _know_ we can't, Hinata. I've…done too much."

"…You're realizing this NOW, you traitor?"

Gaara and Hinata looked to the front door of the apartment. Naruto stood there, his eyes blood red, his voice raspy and unnatural.

"…You realize this now…?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata jumped up from the couch. Gaara stared at Naruto, his eyes narrowed.

"…So you found out, Naruto…You found out about…"

"Yeah, I found out what you did to her!!!" Naruto shouted angrily. "How could you do this, Gaara?!"

Gaara stood up, the wet cloth falling from his forehead.

"Don't ask me," he said calmly. "…Ask Shukaku."

Naruto tilted his head. "…What on EARTH are you talking about?!?!"

Gaara stared at Hinata. Hinata stared back. Naruto stared at them both.

"Do you mean to tell me…?" Naruto huffed. "…That you only hurt her like that because Shukaku _told _you to?!"

"Gaara?"

Gaara turned his head toward the door: His sister, Temari, and two other ninjas, Neji and Sasuke, were standing there. Temari stepped forward.

"Gaara, what's going on? What--!!"

Temari saw Hinata standing nearby--She shuddered.

"No, Gaara…Not again…"

Hinata was about to tell her that nothing happened, when before she knew it--

_THUD!!_

Gaara was wrestling with an infuriated Neji on the floor. Neji's eyes were enraged as veins popped out on either side upon activating his kekkei genkai. Gaara's gourd, rested on the side of the couch, began to release sand, which wreathed toward the Hyuuga boy. Hinata panicked and ran to her cousin, struggling to pull him off.

"Neji, please, stop it!! This is a mistake!"

Neji growled, and knocked Hinata back. She fell to the ground with a _whud._ Gaara stared at his attacker, and bared his teeth angrily.

_WHARAM!! _

Neji was thrown back and slammed back-first against the wall. The Hyuuga fell to the ground, and stumbled back up. He turned to his cousin.

"Fine, Hinata!! Say what you have to say!! It probably won't change the fact that he raped you!!!!"

Hinata stared at her cousin, and then turned to the door. All her friends had been watching, and were gawking at her after what Neji had just said. Hinata was ready to black out from a nervous breakdown, but she shook herself out of it, and confronted her cousin.

"I--I came here to talk to Gaara about what happened…I decided that--I was too hard on him after how much I yelled at him earlier," Hinata said softly, turning to Gaara.

"…When I got here, Gaara was completely drunk, trying to cure his headache problem with…A 'little' sake…He passed out. I wanted to leave, but…I helped him onto the couch. He rested for a while, and when he woke up, I placed a warm towel over his forehead to help with the headache."

Hinata paused for a second. She hesitated, looking around at the already mortified faces around her. She continued:

"…He asked me why I was helping him after what he had done to me…I said that it was my heart's response to his pain, even though I could never forgive him for what he did."

Naruto shook his head. "Yeah? Then…Then how come I came in on him pulling you into a kiss, Hinata?"

Hinata shot a glance at him. "It wasn't _him _that pulled me into a kiss, Naruto! It was me!! I wanted to kiss him!!!"

Naruto simply stared at her. Everyone stared at her. _Gaara _stared at her, and this time, he stared at her with an emotion: surprise. Hinata shook her head.

"You…You just wouldn't get it…"

And with that, she ran out. Sakura and TenTen, who were also 'conveniently' at the door, turned after her. TenTen stopped Sakura.

"Don't worry, Sakura," TenTen said. "I'll go get her. It's getting dark outside anyway, so she probably won't go far."

Everyone began to walk out but Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Neji. Gaara's eyes narrowed, staring directly at them.

"….Get out," the Kazekage demanded.

Neji didn't have any problem with leaving. He stomped out of the apartment, leaving Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke staring at the Sand Ninja. Gaara examined Naruto's face.

"…You're eyes have changed again," he inquired. "And you're cheek lines are darker."

Naruto tilted his head, and slowly turned toward a mirror. It was true--His face was more demonic than ever. Naruto had also been baring his teeth--They had become even more vulpine. Naruto's face began to become less tense as he realized what was happening--His eyes went back to being a swirl of blue and red, and he quit baring his teeth. Slowly, he collapsed onto a nearby chair, as Sasuke and Sakura watched him in confusion. Finally, Sasuke spoke up.

"Tell us what's happening to you, Naruto. Now."

Naruto sighed, and tilted back his head. "I guess it can't be avoided…Well, here's what happened:

I ran away from the battle with Gaara, after having lost in my demon form. I was alive and well--My fox chakra helped me rejuvenate quickly. I didn't head for anywhere in particular--I just ran wherever my feet would take me…Every day, I watched as I gained more scars from fighting for my life…My eyes began to turn redder and redder, and the lines on my cheeks thickened and darkened. My hair lost its golden sheen, and became the color of the Kyuubi's fur…"

Naruto sighed. He brushed his hair back with his fingers. "…And now…I'm here again."

Gaara had settled on the couch, pondering his old friend's confession. Sakura and Sasuke still stood at the door.

"So…That's why…" Sasuke started. "That's why you ran away, and you said…You couldn't come back."

Naruto nodded, and stood up. "…And that's exactly _why _I came back. Because I had seen that so much had change…" Then, Naruto turned to Gaara.

"But…I never expected _this _much to have changed," he said abruptly. Gaara just glared at him. Suddenly, he stood up from the couch and headed out his door.

"You three get out of my apartment. I'm going for a walk."

……………………………….

Hinata had gotten far away from the others--She was deep in the forest by then. She could still her TenTen shouting her name in the distance. Hinata ran faster into the forest. She couldn't stand to be around anybody anymore. Would they not see that she had forgiven him?

But…She refused to tell Gaara that he was forgiven. She was scared that he would--_hurt _her again. Hinata felt as if she was stuck in a cage…Now she knew how her cousin felt so long ago, when he despised her.

_He's in love with you._

Hinata whirled around. Her eyes met emptiness--She could've sworn there was someone there, whispering to her. Stepping forward, she turned to continue running.

_You're the key to giving him to us._

Hinata stopped completely. There _was _someone…or something…following her.

"…Byakugan…" she whispered as she activated her kekkei genkai. There was no presence near her. What was going on? Was she hearing things? And then, there it was. Right behind her.

"…He'll come to us if we make you suffer."

Hinata turned around to fight, only to be absorbed into the pair of red and black eyes that stared indigently into hers. Before she entered her nightmare, she heard one word:

_Sharingan._

Hinata was falling--Falling through a nightmarish abyss, where all the colors were negative, and the world around her was black. For what seemed like hours, she continued to fall, until--

_KRAK. _

She felt it--The pain racked her body as she hit the ground with blunt force. It felt as if every bone in her body had broken, and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

Hinata could do nothing but lay there. In the empty darkness and silence.

Suddenly, a cry rang out in the distance. Hinata shot her eyes toward the sound in the emptiness. She saw them--Her friends running toward her. She was safe. Hinata watched as her friend Kiba got closer to her.

_SHIK. _

Hinata was shocked--Blood splattered the ground as Kiba fell forward, a kunai drove into his back.

And, slowly, they all came--All of her friends: Shino. Lee. Neji. Sakura. Sasuke. Naruto. Shikamaru. Ino. Chouji. TenTen.

They all…_died._

Hinata lay there, silently crying. Could this nightmare possibly get any worse? And then she saw it: One last figure running toward her. No, it was dragging itself to her, many kunai already sticking out of its back. Who was this figure?

Gaara. Her love interest. Her _attacker. _But he…He was _dragging _himself to her, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Finally, he collapsed feet away from her, and one of his arms reached out to her. Hinata couldn't move--She simply cried. Her eyes watched in horror as a figure approached Gaara from behind. Gaara's arm fell, and his dark eyes stared coldly into hers. He mouthed silent words that she could clearly understand.

_Help me. _

Suddenly, Hinata could scream.

"GAAAAAAAARAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

_SHIK._

Blood spattered Hinata's face as a large shruiken drove into his back. His once living eyes faded into a death-cold stare.

And with that, Hinata entered the real world once again, exiting the nightmare, only to be entombed in a seizure-like spasm of screams. Soon, she blacked out, scratches covering her body, blood staining the ground beneath her.

……………………………….

Gaara rest against the tree under the bright moon. He stared out into the distance as his siblings nearby quarreled about one another. Even though they couldn't hear it over their shouting, Gaara had heard the deathly scream in the distance. He raised his head--Blood had been spilled that night. The Shukaku stirred.

**Blood…I can smell it from here. Give chase, Gaara. **

Without a word and without any notice from his siblings, Gaara slipped off into the night. He darted through the forest, dashing and leaping from tree to tree, making movement in the forest easier. A waft of blood crossed Gaara's senses. He jumped down from his tree, moving towards the source of the smell.

Blood spattered the ground for a few feet. There were bloody handprints in the ground: Signs of struggling. Gaara bent down to the ground, running a finger through the liquid. It was fresh, and he put his finger to his mouth, licking the blood from his hand, when something else drew his attention: A vital piece of evidence leading to who the victim had been of this attack.

An imprint in the grass where a body had laid, but the body had been taken away. In its place remained a thick, raven-colored lock of…_hair._ Gaara's face tightened: It couldn't be. He delicately picked up the lock of hair, sniffing it gently. With that, he fell to his knees.

_The scream. It came from her. HER, of all people. Hinata…_

Gaara looked around--He had been less than a minute's distance away from where she had been attacked. He could have saved her, but his soul chose to ignore it. Suddenly, from the bottom of his soul, something came out of him--A roar so vigorous, one would think that a beast greater than the Shukaku had produced it.

_HRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!_

Gaara fell to the ground, his body lying in the pool of blood spattered across the grass. After not much time, Temari and Kankuro had burst into the scene to see Gaara lying dismayed in the grass, his clothes spotted red. Temari ran up to her brother, looking wildly around the scene.

"Gaara, what happened here?!?!" Temari shook her brother's emotionless body. "GAARA?!"

Her brother slowly turned to her.

"What HAPPENED HERE?!?!?!" his sister shouted again, more frantic this time.

Gaara scoffed. "She's…_dead._" Gaara ran a finger through the blood on the ground.

"Someone tortured her…When I was less than a minute away from her…" He suddenly thrust his sister away from him.

"--AND I IGNORED HER!!!"

"Gaara! Kankuro! Temari!"

The three looked up to see a familiar person: TenTen. She was exhausted from running.

"Finally--I'm exhausted from searching! The hospital in Konoha has just received Hinata--She's in critical condition, and--!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Gaara had run past her, back towards Konoha.


	6. Chapter 6

A light blurred above her as her vision faded in and out.

_Where am I…?_

"Hinata's waking up!!!"

_Who…Who is that…That voice in the distance…_

"What--? Miss Hinata!!"

_N--Neji…? I know where I am now…I'm in the hospital…_

The room went quiet.

_What…? What's going on…?_

Hinata's vision began to come back. A man stood above, staring down at her. His scarlet red hair was stained with blood. _Her blood._

_Gaara…That's my blood on you…Did you…Did you come for me…?_

Suddenly, something cold and wet ran down her face, coming from the person above.

_What was that…Was that a tear, Gaara…? No…It leaves a red mark on my face…I see you biting your bottom lip. It's blood. YOUR blood. _

She watched as the man's form backed away again from her sight. Hinata sighed, and fell unconscious once again.

……………………………….

Gaara left the hospital room, walking up to Neji. Neji gave him an uncomfortable stare, and then relaxed his face. Gaara stared down at the ground, and wiped a trickle of blood from his lip.

"So…" he said, examining the blood on his finger. "…She'll be okay?

Neji nodded. "Yeah, she'll be fine. She's recovering quickly…It seems that her wounds were more mental than physical." Neji smiled slightly. "She'll be up and running soon."

Gaara slowly shook his head. "That's…good."

Neji turned to Gaara. Gaara smiled a rare smile.

"…That's very good."

Neji shook his head. "You just keep switching my trust of you on and off, you know that?"

Gaara chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

Neji began to walk down the hall away from Hinata's room and Gaara, when he stopped and turned.

"Come with me, Gaara," he said calmly. "Join me for a drink. I think we should talk."

_And so…_

Gaara sat down at the table across from the Hyuuga boy. He placed a bottle on the table, along with two small glasses. Neji stood up, picked up the bottle, and poured some liquid into his own and Gaara's glass.

"The finest sake around," Neji said, smiling. "Just don't drink too much."

Gaara picked up his glass, bowed his head slightly, and then took a sip of the drink instead of swallowing down the whole thing like last time. Gaara put down his glass, and turned his focus to Neji.

"So…" Gaara said casually. "Why did you call me down for a talk with you, Neji?"

Neji nodded. "Ah, yes."

He put down his glass, and focused on the Sand Ninja across from him.

"You once made such a good lover for my cousin, Gaara," he said calmly. "What has changed in you?"

Gaara said nothing. He took another sip from his glass, and sighed.

"I truly don't know _what _changed…" he began. "I don't know for certain if it had anything to do with Naruto. After he disappeared--After I had nearly destroyed one of my closest friends, I began to change. My mood darkened, and I began to care less about everything…Including your cousin. Soon, I had gone back to Suna. I began to drink more, and I ended up waking up in my home more with headaches beyond any I had had before. I didn't know what had changed. One night, a blasted a hold in a wall of my room, and passed out dead asleep."

Gaara took another sip of sake and continued. "--And then, one night, I heard I was coming back here. I did--And I saw her again--Hinata. Something really had changed when I saw her--I got a feeling of lust all over my body, strangling my senses and thoughts. And, before I knew what had happened, I was sitting next to your cousin at a table, moving my hand down her back and side. The next thing I knew after that, I had attacked your cousin and attempted to force her into intercourse…After that, Naruto came back…The feelings disappeared. The thoughts went away. I didn't want to hurt her anymore. I didn't really care what she thought of me after that…It was too late to give back what I had taken away from her, and it was much too late to ask her forgiveness for anything…And that's where I am now."

Neji stared at him, without a word. Both of their glasses were empty. Gaara looked around him--The sun was beginning to rise outside.

"I have spent too much time talking that I have kept you from sleeping," Gaara stood up from the table and walked away as Neji's eyes followed him.

"Now, I bid you goodnight."

As Gaara walked out, Neji continued to stare at the door, as if expecting someone to come walking in. Out of whatever impulse was going through him at the moment, he through his empty glass at the wall nearest him, where it shattered into hundreds of pieces.

……………………………….

The morning had rose, and Hinata had woken up as its light distracted her from her sleep. Covering her eyes, Hinata sat up in her bed, and looked around her light flooded room. On the desk next to her, there were cards wishing for her to get well, and flowers of different sorts. Hinata suddenly gasped as she spotted something else there.

It was a lock of hair, covered in her dried blood.

Hinata sighed, and stumbled over to the window. _He had come for her._ She rested her head on the glass, staring out into the garden below. _Would he come for her again…? _

"Hinata?"

Hinata quickly turned to see Sakura standing at the door.

"Hinata," she said, smiling. "It looks like you're getting better quickly."

Hinata smiled and nodded. She turned back to stare out the window once again. Sakura stared at Hinata for a second and sighed.

"He still loves you, Hinata."

Hinata's mouth hung open a little, as if ready to say something--But no words came out. Sakura sighed, leaning against the doorframe of Hinata's room.

"Do you think he would have come for you if he didn't love you?"

Hinata sighed. "Who knows?" she said quietly.

Sakura scoffed. "C'mon, I mean, we all know now that he…Well…_YEAH, _but--C'mon, he still has to care for you somehow!"

Hinata shook her head. "…Time will tell."

Sakura sighed, and left. Hinata knew she was alone again--She turned back to the window, placing a hand on the glass. It was warm…_Just like his touch…!!_ Hinata snapped back to reality.

_Come on, Hinata, snap out of it! Get over him; he's supposed to be the one that HURT you!! He--!!_

Hinata realized that someone was watching her from the door. She turned to meet the same pair of entrancing, aquamarine eyes she had seen so many times before.

"Good morning, Hinata."

Hinata lowered her head, avoiding eye contact. "G--Good morning, Gaara."

Gaara looked around, and then took noticed at her daydreaming out the window. Gaara sighed.

"Would you like to take a walk with me, Hinata? We have much to discuss."

_And So…_

Hinata walked silently next to Gaara through the path of the forest. Hinata occasionally glanced around, looking at the environment around her, and slipping a quick look at Gaara's serious face. Gaara finally spoke up.

"I need to talk to you about what happened between you and I. About what I did to hurt you."

Hinata put her hands together.

_Please…_she thought. _I don't want to talk about this…Not THIS…_

Gaara suddenly nudged Hinata. "Look up."

Hinata looked up from the ground. She gasped--They had entered a bright clearing in the woods. Hinata remembered this place all too well.

"Do you remember?" Gaara said. "This is where I first protected you from those Sound Ninja."

Hinata nodded. "I remember it clearly." _I hope he's forgotten about what we were supposed to be talking about…_

Gaara sighed. "Now, back to the subject…"

…_Damn. _

Gaara rubbed a hand through his hair. "What I did…Was not of my consent, Hinata. I did not know what I was doing--I couldn't control my feelings."

Hinata frowned and turned to Gaara. "But…You still did it."

Gaara nodded. "Yeah, I know. I've never done anything I regret, Hinata."

Hinata sighed, glancing down at the ground once again.

"…But that was something I did regret."

Hinata gasped, and turned to him. "…What…?"

Gaara choked on his words. "I'm…sorry."

Hinata shook her head. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Gaara turned from her. "I never thought to tell you because…Because something was wrong with me."

Hinata moved her gaze to him as he continued.

"I didn't care about anything, Hinata…I…I knew I shouldn't have done those things to you, but…It didn't matter to me…And then you came to take care of me…And someone attacked you…I couldn't help it anymore. It felt as if something worse than Shukaku was tearing me up from the inside."

Gaara got closer to her. "And that's why I choose to tell you now, Hyuuga Hinata: I am sorry. And…"

Hinata waited for it. _Say it…_her mind echoed. _…Say it…_

Gaara stared at her, his mouth saying three words.

"I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

Hinata stared at him. "You…love me…?"

Gaara's face was inches from hers now. He repeated the words.

"I love you…"

Hinata couldn't believe she was hearing this. Gaara had finally come back to her…Her wish had come true after all this time…She just wanted him to keep repeating those words.

Hinata's long hair was now brushing against Gaara's face, her eyes closed as if they had already been locked in a kiss. She breathed the words to him again.

"You _love _me…?"

Gaara could sense the warmth of her breath against his lips. He reached up, took her face in his hands, and said it again before locking her in a passionate kiss.

"I…love you…"

Hinata could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She wrapped her arms tightly around the Sand Ninja's neck, pulling him closer to her. Gaara could sense happiness radiating from her like chakra as she held him. He smiled slightly and continued to kiss her, forcing his kisses to become harder and more intense. He gently bit on her lower lip--Hinata's eyes shot open.

_That bite; the first sign of him wanting **more** than just this._

Hinata quickly pushed him away.

"You…You are lusting for me. I can sense it in you."

Gaara slowly backed away. He couldn't deny that he was indeed lusting for her.

"It's strange, though…" Hinata continued. Gaara looked back at her as she continued.

"It is true that it is as if you are feeling nothing but lust toward me, but…It's not _completely _lust. There truly is love there…But…How can I know for sure, Gaara?"

Gaara shook his head, and came towards her again. "How can you be sure?" he repeated. He bent towards her and brushed his lips across her cheek, whispering into her ear.

"Let me _show _you."

Hinata looked up at him as he pulled away. He wanted to do this _again. _But it wouldn't be like it was last time--Last time, she had not wanted it. He had _forced _her to. This time…There would be love. But…_could _she? Hinata couldn't think anymore. She realized that she wanted this just as much as he did. She reached up to him to pull him into a kiss.

"I…I trust you…"

Gaara pulled her towards him, kissing her as he ran a free hand through her long, dark hair. Gaara broke free of their kiss, and he proceeded running his mouth down Hinata's neck. He continued, but winced as a voice rang in his head.

**What in your RIGHT mind are you doing, boy?!?! **

Gaara's hands reached up to unzip Hinata's sweater. _I'm doing something on my own terms for once._

**You--You CAN'T do this!!! This girl hurt you, remember?! And you hurt her!! Now…Now she's--ACCEPTING this?!**

Gaara now had Hinata backed up against a tree as he unbuckled the strap around his shoulder, holding the Sand Gourd to his back. _Yeah, I know. But she's accepting me now…_

**GOD DAMNIT, GAARA, I COMMAND YOU TO STOP AT--**

The voice faded as he threw his gourd to the side.

Hinata's heart raced as she ran her hands through Gaara's hair as he began gently biting down her neck and collar bone. Gaara used one hand to keep Hinata pinned to the tree as he used his other hand to reach down and remove his black jeans--Hinata did the same, holding on to Gaara with the other hand.

Gaara began to press harder against her, as the hand that was once removing his jeans reached up and placed itself on Hinata's waist, pulling her closer to him.

Hinata winced as the bark from the tree behind her left small scratches on her back as Gaara began to move back and forth against her. Gasping as Gaara proceeded to enter her, she grasped his hair with her hands. Hinata made an effort to look down at Gaara's face, as it was still busy exploring her body orally. His eyes were shut tight, and he was letting out sounds crossed between a pant and a growl as he occasionally removed his lips from her body. She was forced to tilt her head back once again and moan loudly as his pace picked up.

Gaara answered with an abrupt "Hn" and shot his glance up at her. He noticed that a small amount of blood was going down her shoulder where the bark from the tree had scraped and cut her back. Gaara growled quietly, and reached his head up, placing his mouth on her shoulder, sucking the blood away. Hinata felt a tinge in her shoulder--She whimpered a little.

"It--Ha--It's not meant to hurt you…" Gaara breathed out.

Hinata nodded, and bit her bottom lip, letting out small gasps every time he thrust forward and pressed her up the tree once again. Gaara removed his mouth from her shoulder, bending his head down again, and forcing himself to go faster, holding on to Hinata's hip to keep her moving along with him.

Hinata's gasps and moans turned into small yelps and screams. A mix of blood and sweat dripped into the grass, and the grass shifted as Gaara struggled to stay standing up and keeping Hinata propped up against the tree. Gaara thrust into Hinata one last time, and she let off a small scream. Gaara released Hinata, watching as she slowly slumped to the ground, tired and gasping. Gaara looked where she had once been propped up--The bark was covered with blood from her back. Gaara fell to his knees in the grass.

"Hinata, lean forward," he said in a raspy voice.

Hinata leaned forward from her resting place at the base of the tree--Cuts covered her back, leaving her skin slightly red and blood running down her back. Suddenly, as if by instinct, she curled up her legs to her damp body, covering up the parts that no longer needed to be seen, realizing that the two of them had gotten a little too intimate in broad daylight…And, to make matters worse, they had done it _outside._

Hinata cried out as he ran a hand over one of the cuts.

"…This wasn't meant to hurt you," Gaara said, running a hand over Hinata's wet shoulder.

Hinata, small tears coming down her cheeks, shook her head. "I'm…Fine…"

Gaara looked around the forest.

"You'd better get your clothes back on," he said, standing up and walking toward his own clothing.

"We don't want to get caught…I don't think anyone would understand."

……………………………….

Kankuro sat at the table in his apartment room across from his sister, Temari. Temari sat nervously tapping her fingers against the table.

"I have to go out and find him," she said, standing up. "I haven't seen him since last night, when Hinata got attacked."

Kankuro smirked at his sister.

"Come on, don't worry, sis!" Kankuro rubbed his nose. "I heard that she went out for a walk with Hinata earlier…"

Temari turned to him.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling broadly. "And, judging by how long he's been out with her, I'm sure he's doing _more _than just 'going for a walk'!!" Kankuro burst into a laugh, when--

_BAM!!!_

Kankuro yowled in pain after being hit in the head by his older sister.

"What'd you do that for?!"

Temari scowled. "I don't like your attitude, Kankuro! And what you said--That's just--UGH!!!!!" Temari stormed out, Kankuro trailing after her.

"Oh, come on, Temari! It was just a joke--!"

_FWAKUUUUUM!!!! _

In a flash of sand, Gaara had appeared before them. Temari stared at him--His hair was wet.

"Gaara! Where have you been--Ack!" Temari backed off. "You reek of sweat, Gaara! What have you been doing?! Running everywhere or something?!"

Gaara glared at his sister, and turned toward his room. Kankuro and Temari stared at him--The back of his shirt was wet, too. Temari sighed.

"What do you think he was doing…?" Temari asked.

Kankuro rubbed his nose. "Don't kill me for saying it, but…I REALLY think he was doing more than 'walking' with Hinata…"

Temari shook her head.

"He better not have…Anyways…" Temari turned to exit the building.

"I'm going to have to find out for myself."

……………………………….

Hinata exited the forest, casually brushing her hair back. She made her appearance look as normal as possible, hoping no one would suspect her having…'been'…with Gaara.

"Hey, Hinata!"

Hinata gasped, and turned around. She smiled as her friends Kiba and Sakura ran up to her.

"Yo, Hinata!" Kiba said happily. "What's up?"

Hinata shook her head. "Nothing really." Hinata smiled, but her mind was raging a different answer: _I was 'with' Gaara, I was 'with' Gaara, I was 'with' Gaara…_

Sakura smiled. "We've been looking for you all--Hinata! There's blood on the back of your sweater!!!" Hinata sighed.

_Damn…_

Hinata shook her head. "It's nothing, really! I was training in the forest, when I fell back and slid down a tree. I guess I must've cut myself."

Sakura nodded. "Ah."

Kiba shook his head. "C'mon, Hinata--Let's go to the hospital and get some of those cuts covered up."

Hinata nodded, and followed Kiba and Sakura.

_**And so…**_

"Well, there you go, Miss Hinata. Your cuts are mostly sealed, but…" Tsunade looked up at Sakura and Kiba.

"--I need to talk to Miss Hinata in private."

Kiba and Sakura exchanged concerned glances. Nodding, they both left.

Hinata feared the worst. "What is it, Tsunade?"

Tsunade stood up, pulling her hair back out of her face.

"The cuts on your back are consistent with a rapid up and down movement, Hinata. So, either someone scratched you on your back up and down really fast with bark from a tree, or…"

Tsunade motioned to a pile of bloody splinters she had taken out of Hinata's back.

"…You were out in the forest with Gaara--And you were doing more than just being 'out'."

Hinata stared blankly at Tsunade. She sighed, and decided that it was unavoidable.

"…Yes, Tsunade."

Tsunade shook her head.

"I don't get what you see in that boy."

Hinata stared. "You…You're not mad??"

Tsunade chucked, and smiled. "Of course not."

Hinata turned to the Hokage. "Please…Please don't tell anyone."

The Hokage stood up. "I won't…I'd better take my leave. Oh, and by the way…"

Tsunade placed some papers on the bed next to Hinata.

"While I was fixing your back, I took a sample of your blood. You…might want to look at what I found."

And with that, Tsunade left.

Hinata tilted her head. She picked up the papers, reading what each of them said. She read them, uninterested, reading the everyday blood tests and so on without care: Until she got to the last page. Hinata dropped her papers.

…_There's no way…They--They said that I wasn't after…He…_

"Tsunade!!!"

The Hokage stopped as Hinata ran up to her.

"Hokage, it's not possible! My cousin said that I wasn't after he took me to the hospital!! How could that change?!"

Tsunade sighed. "Hinata, what happened was--What? Three days ago? Don't forget the fact that Gaara was still with you that day, even if it was by force. Besides,"

The Hokage continued to walk away.

"--Neji never really saw the test results."

Hinata stared after her, then stared down at the large print words across the paper on the last page.

**HYUUGA HINATA: POSITIVE FOR PREGNANCY. **


	8. Chapter 8

"The test came out positive."

Temari growled, and kicked a chair to where it hit the wall across from her.

"GOD DAMNIT!!!"

Temari leaned back against a wall, cursing continuously under her breath. Kankuro still sat on the couch in the room.

"So, let me get this straight," he said, staring at the Hokage and his sister. "After Gaara--raped--Hinata three days ago, Temari got the Hokage to test Hinata for pregnancy when she was at the hospital??"

Temari nodded. "And now, it's positive."

Kankuro stood up. "Well, whatever we do, we CANNOT tell Gaara."

"You cannot tell me what, brother?"

Kankuro shot his eyes to the door, where Gaara stood silently. The Hokage moved to Gaara.

"Of course we can tell Gaara, Kankuro."

Kankuro shot his eyes to the Hokage. "What?!"

"Of course we can tell him…" Tsunade started, "That we have a lead on who hurt Hinata."

Kankuro and Temari sighed in relief. Gaara turned his attention to the Hokage.

"So? Who may have done it?"

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Well, whoever attacked Hinata had gotten into her mind, causing her to hallucinate and scream the way she did, being physically hurt at the same time."

"Your point…?"

Tsunade sighed. "Whoever did this had to have one ability: The Sharingan."

Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara all exchanged glances of surprise.

"That means…" Kankuro started. "…That there are three people who could've done it: Kakashi, Sasuke, or…"

"Itachi, I know," Tsunade finished. "I think we can rule out Sasuke and Kakashi--They have no reason to hurt Hinata. Itachi is our prime suspect."

Temari shook her head. "But…Why would Itachi want to hurt Hinata?"

The Hokage turned to the Sand girl. "Maybe he knew before we did."

Temari's eyes widened.

Gaara glared at them both. "Knew? Knew what?"

The Hokage thought of the first lie that popped into her head.

"That Hinata was still in love with you, that's all."

Gaara nodded. He turned to the door to leave.

"…I'm going. There's someone I need to talk to."

……………………………….

Hinata sat at the table with Kiba and Sakura, her arms folded around her stomach. Her mind was racing with thoughts.

_Pregnant. I'm pregnant with his child. Gaara's child. I'm not even sure if Gaara will want this…Will he?_

"Hinata?"

Hinata looked up at her friend Sakura.

"You look down, Hinata. What's wrong? Does it have anything to do with what Tsunade told you?"

Kiba snapped his fingers. "Oh, and speaking of which--What did Tsunade say to you, Hinata?"

Hinata shook her head. "I…I'd rather not talk about it."

Kiba frowned. "Well, why not?"

Hinata gasped as Akamaru popped his head over Kiba's shoulder. Kiba smiled, but watched as Akamaru sniffed the air, and began to whine. Hinata shuddered.

_Akamaru knows. Kiba can talk to him--He's going to tell. _

"What is it, Akamaru?"

Akamaru whined again. Hinata's arms wrapped tighter around her nervously. She watched as Kiba turned back to her.

"Akamaru says that he can see what you saw when you were attacked."

Hinata sighed in relief. _Thank God…_

"From what he says, it sounds horrible."

Hinata nodded. "It was, but…It was just a nightmare."

Kiba smiled. "It's good that you see it that way instead of seeing it as reality."

Hinata smiled warmly.

Sakura looked around. "Hey, guys, have you seen Sasuke or Naruto recently? I haven't seen them in a while."

And then, as if by coincidence, Naruto and Sasuke appeared behind her. Sakura turned.

"Well, speak of the devil. There you are--What the?!"

Hinata and Kiba both jumped from their seats. Something wasn't right about Naruto. His eyes were now completely red, only now there were stripes of yellow streaking across. His black pupils were now slits, and the lines on his cheeks were darker than ever. His teeth were longer, sharp as knives and barred at the people before him. His human ears were no longer present: Small, red-orange fox-ears were sticking out from under his even darker red-orange hair.

"Naruto! Sasuke! What's going on?!?!"

Sakura noticed something about Sasuke--He wasn't the same either. His head hung, and his hair covered his face.

Sakura stepped slowly forward. "S…Sasuke…?" Sasuke raised his head, and Sakura jumped back.

He looked half dead. A bloody scratch ran down Sasuke's right eye, and his face was covered in bruises. Blood ran down his left arm, and his blue shirt was spattered with it.

Suddenly, a clawed hand grabbed Sakura's arm: Naruto's hand.

"Sakura," he said in an inhuman voice. "…Something's wrong with me…I--It's getting worse…!!! And…Sasuke…"

Naruto turned to see Tsunade, Temari, and Shikamaru running up to them.

"What happened here?!" Tsunade demanded.

Temari and Shikamaru ran over to Sasuke, holding up his dead-like body.

Naruto turned his flaring eyes to the Hokage.

"I was out in the woods with Sasuke, looking for leads on where Hinata's attacker might be. I noticed that I was started to change again, and before I knew it, Sasuke was like this."

Sasuke made a small coughing noise, and a trickle of blood hit the ground below him.

Sakura rushed forward, placing a hand on his throat. Naruto watched as green chakra flowed through her hands, humming vibrantly. When she removed her hand, Naruto noticed that Sasuke could breathe more clearly.

…_Sakura…_

Sakura glanced at Naruto. His eyes were still unnaturally colored, blazing in a frenzy of yellow and red.

_What happened to him…?!_

Naruto watched as Temari and Shikamaru proceeded to take Sasuke to the hospital. Sakura turned to follow after, when she stopped.

"…Naruto?"

Naruto turned to the pink-haired girl. "Yeah, what's up?"

Sakura hesitated. "…A long time ago, you, Sasuke and I used to be such good friends…Then, Sasuke left…You went after him and, three years later, you recovered him before Orochimaru could completely control him…Years later, you were taken over by that demon, and you left…" Sakura smiled. "Now, you're back…But you've hurt someone close to you…"

Naruto turned his head down as he heard her say her final words.

"…Is it impossible for us to live in peace…?"

Sakura turned to where Naruto was—He was gone.

……………………………….

"Gaara?"

Gaara turned from where he had been walking. Hinata stood at the end of the street across from him; her eyes were expressing sadness and confusion. Gaara took a step toward her.

"May I ask what is troubling you?"

Hinata nodded. "Actually, I…"

Hinata walked up to Gaara.

"There's something I need to tell you."

The Sand Kazekage tilted his head. Hinata opened her mouth to speak, and then sighed.

"Perhaps we should sit down…"

Gaara nodded. "We can talk at my apartment, Hinata."

_**And so…**_

Hinata sat across from Gaara at his desk. He casually took out a glass, filled it with a small amount of sake, and offered it to Hinata; she refused it. Gaara shrugged, and motioned at Hinata.

"So…What is it you need to tell me?"

Hinata sighed. _Great. Here it goes…_

"Gaara…I…I'm pregnant."

Gaara unconsciously shattered the glass in his hand, his eyes wide with shock.

"…What?"

_It couldn't have been this time. It's—It's too soon for her to have found out. Which means…_

Gaara's eyes widened even more.

_It was the time before that. The time when I had hurt her that caused this. _

"Gaara, your hand!!"

Gaara snapped back into reality, realizing that the shards of his cup had cut up his hand.

"Aw, sh--!"

Before he could finish, Hinata had darted over to him and had began tending to his hand. Gaara stared at Hinata's face, and then placed his free hand gently on her stomach. Hinata looked up at him and blushed slightly.

Gaara's face had a mix of emotions spread all over it: Frustration, shock, but, most of all, confusion.

"How…How could I let this happen…?"

Hinata frowned a little.

"I…I know this is sudden, but it's not like we had a choice--!"

Gaara glared at her. "There was a choice…It was _my _choice to hurt you how I did, Hinata…And now this…"

Hinata frowned a little more, and then sighed.

"Gaara…I was completely taken by this too, but…Aren't you happy?"

Gaara's eyes widened. Was he happy? He wasn't exactly sure—Was he happy that, in nine months time, he would have a son or a daughter: An heir to the position of Kazekage? The ultimate expression of his love for Hinata?

"…I suppose."

Hinata smiled, and held Gaara close to her as she finished wrapping his hand. Gaara held her as well, calm as ever. But his mind was freaking out:

_WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!?!?! _

_Nice going, Gaara…You REALLY did it this time!_

Gaara scowled.

…_Oh, shut up already. _


	9. Chapter 9

"…_Foolish brother…"_

…_No…Get away from me…_

"…_You're such a coward." _

_NO! No, I'm not a coward!!! _

"…_I'm coming, brother…"_

…_What??_

"_I'll get you…And your little girlfriend, too…" _ (I'll get you my pretty…And you're little dog, too! AHAHAHAHAA!!!...Sorry, had to do that. x.x…)

_--NO!!!!!_

"AGH!"

Sasuke shot up from his resting place, and winced as a searing pain went through his left shoulder.

"What on Earth…?"

Sasuke turned to realize that there was a large wound on his shoulder, covered with gauze and wrapped linen.

"Geez, what happened—NARUTO!!!"

The Uchiha boy quickly glanced around the hospital room he laid in to find it empty. Sasuke sighed, and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. His dark eyes were full of thought, reflecting the incident that had left him with a scar grazing down his right eye, making him look even more sinister than his older brother.

_Sasuke and Naruto had been searching through the woods for Itachi. Sasuke walked, as always, with his hands shoved in his pockets, while Naruto walked with his massive sword slung over his shoulder. _

"…_Hey, Sasuke?"_

_Sasuke looked up and turned to the red-orange haired boy next to him. They both stopped in their tracks, staring at one another, waiting for another word._

"_What is it?" _

_Naruto's eyes hardened. _

"_How did everything change so suddenly, after I left? I mean, I've only been gone for seven months…When I came back, everything was different: Gaara had returned to his ld self and broke it off with Hinata…Shikamaru and Ino were going out for a little while, but they ended it…I…I barely knew what was going on anymore…"_

_Naruto's blue and red eyes relaxed and he stared down at the ground. _

"…_What did my leave do to make everyone change…?" _

_Sasuke stared at his friend silently for a second then smiled and chuckled shortly. Naruto looked up at the dark-haired ninja. _

"_What's so funny?" Naruto asked._

"_It's just…I don't really know why anyone would change just because a loser like you disappeared…" Sasuke smiled again. "…Everyone must be fond of having you around." _

_Naruto thought for a second, then smiled, baring his canine-like teeth. "Yeah, I guess I must've made Konoha a little more bright—AAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!" _

_Naruto suddenly fell to his knees, clutching a clawed hand to his chest. His mouth hung open as he let out a series of agonized screams, saliva trickling from the corner. Sasuke quickly knelt down to his friend's side, examining his face._

"_Naruto, what's--?!?!" _

_Naruto suddenly shot his glance up at Sasuke, causing the dark-haired ninja to fall back on his rear. Sasuke watched in horror as his friend fell violently to the ground, his screams becoming more hoarse. Naruto's eyes turned red and yellow, the lines on his face grew thicker, and his claws grew sharper. Two vulpine ears sprouted from under his mess of hair. His bared teeth grew sharper, and blood spurted from his mouth from the cuts that those teeth placed on his tongue and gums. _

_Suddenly, the screaming stopped. Naruto lay limp on the ground, his face buried in his arms. Sasuke sat up and crawled slowly to the figure, reaching out to it as he got closer._

"…_Naruto?" _

_Suddenly, the red and yellow eyes shot up at him, and a clawed hand lashed out at him. _

_Then, there was darkness. _

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up towards the door to his room to see his pink-haired girlfriend staring sadly at him. Sakura quickly ran to his side, throwing her arms around him, but remembering to be gentle. Sasuke silently rested his head on the girl's shoulder.

"…Sakura…"

The pink-haired kunoichi pulled away, her green eyes staring at Sasuke, her face bearing a happy smile.

"You're finally awake…It's good to see that you're okay…"

Sasuke tilted his head to the side. _You're finally awake…? _

"Sakura," he said. "How long have I been unconscious?"

Sakura frowned. "You've been out for three days, Sasuke…Naruto was beginning to worry about you…"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Naruto! Where is he?? Is he alright?!"

Sakura put her hands on Sasuke's shoulders, trying to calm him down.

"Sasuke, he's alright! Tsunade is monitoring him right now, and she says she'll consider putting him on a mission with some of the others to keep him busy."

Sasuke glanced down. "But…His face…What happened…?"

Sakura shook her head softly. "I…I'm not sure…"

"Hey, guys!"

Sakura and Sasuke looked up: It was Ino. Sakura smiled slightly.

"Ino! What's up?"

Ino waved to Sakura and Sasuke, walking up to them.

"Hey, have either of you seen Gaara and Hinata? Tsunade needs to talk to them—Oh, and she needs to talk to you as well, Sakura!"

Sakura tilted her head slightly.

"What? What does she need me for? Did something happen?"

"Nah, I think she's just assigning a new mission or something. She wants to see you guys as soon as possible, though!"

Sakura smiled. "Thanks for telling me, Ino!"

Ino turned to leave. "It's no problem. See ya!"

Sakura watched as Ino left, and then turned back to Sasuke.

"Well, I guess I better go see Tsunade…"

Sasuke nodded, and Sakura stood up. She bent over and placed a soft kiss on Sasuke's cheek, then turned towards the door.

"See you later, Sasuke…"

With that, Sakura turned and left.

……………………………….

"…_You…You're the one he cares for…"_

…_Wh—What…?_

"…_He cares for you…And he's aware now that you carry his child…He knows he has to protect you…"_

…_What are you talking about…? What do you want--?! _

"…_I know now…What we must do to get his demon…We must first…Destroy you…"_

_NO—LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!!!_

"No!!!"

Hinata jumped up, her body shaking from the fear that her nightmare had brought her. She looked around, sighing at the relief of finding herself safe in her room, her long raven hair resting peacefully on her shoulders and down her face. Hinata shook her head.

_It's early afternoon…I've been sleeping a lot more than usual lately…_

"Lady Hinata? Are you awake?"

Hinata sat up.

"Yes…"

She watched as her cousin Neji walked in, glancing at Hinata and then around the room. He stopped before her.

"What is it, Neji?" Hinata asked.

"Tsunade is asking for your presence. She says she has a mission for you."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Oh—I'm sorry I slept so late, perhaps I would've found out if--!"

"No, Hinata, it's okay," Neji reassured her. "We just got the message anyways."

Hinata nodded, and got to her feet, running over to her sweater and sandals.

"I—I'll be over as soon as possible…"

Neji nodded, and left her to her business. As he began to proceed down the hallway, he stopped at the mutter of a noise: A small sob. Carefully, Neji tiptoed to Hinata's door, making sure that she wouldn't see or hear him. Hinata sat at the foot of her bed, her head cradled in her hands.

"…Does Tsunade really need me for a mission? Or is she—Or is she just calling Gaara and I to her so she can talk about our problem…?"

_Problem…? _Neji thought, interested.

"…How much longer can I keep this a secret…?!" Hinata sobbed. "…How much longer can I keep from my family…That I'm pregnant with the child of the one person they abhor most…?!"

Neji had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from shouting out in shock. He quietly turned and ran down the hall, his eyes wide with utter shock.

…_Hinata…What have you done…?! _

……………………………….

Sakura knocked gently on the door of Tsunade's office.

"Enter," said a female voice from inside.

Sakura carefully turned the brass door handle and opened the door, smiling.

"Good afternoon, Hokage," Sakura said, glancing at Tsunade and then to Gaara, Hinata, and Naruto, who were also present.

Sakura smiled. "Hey, Hinata!"

Hinata returned her kindness with a soft smile.

"Good afternoon, Sakura…"

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto chirped, giving her a thumbs up and flashing her a vulpine smile.

Sakura smiled in return, trying to hide the nervousness in her eyes upon the sight of Naruto's fiery red and yellow eyes. Gaara simply nodded, then turned his attention to the Hokage.

"So, Tsunade: What is it that you want of us?" he said in his usual cold tone.

Tsunade folded her hands and leaned her chin on them in her usual position. She was silent for a second, pondering, and then spoke up.

"Okay, my mission for you five is pretty simple: There have been reports of one of the Akatsuki members near the waterfront. I'm sure you're all familiar with the member of the Seven Swords, Hoshigaki Kisame—Especially you, Naruto."

Naruto nodded: How could he forget the shark-like Akatsuki member that had been with Itachi when he was attacked?

"My plan is to capture him, or to at least get some information out of him on where Itachi is: Heck, if you want to, go ahead and kill him."

"S-Sounds like a plan, Tsunade…"

The group of ninjas turned toward the office door: Sasuke stood in the doorway, slightly slouched over, a hand gripping his injured shoulder. Sakura gasped, turning and running to Sasuke's aid. Tsunade stood at her desk.

"Sasuke, you should be resting," Tsunade said seriously.

Sasuke looked up at the Hokage, a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Heh--You know I'm not going to pass up any chance at getting my brother or any of his little friends, Hokage."

Tsunade smiled. _Hmph…The kid's got guts…_

"So," Sasuke continued. "…Am I in this mission or not, Tsunade?"

Tsunade nodded. "I guess we could always use a little more support."

Sakura smiled happily. "Yeah! Alright, Sasuke!"

Naruto smiled. "Good you have you joining the team, pal!"

Tsunade lashed out an arm, her finger pointing out the window, towards the waterfront.

"Well, you have your mission, team! Move out!"

"YEAH!"


	10. Chapter 10

…_Why…?_

The first rays of sunlight were breaking over the Forest of Death, casting shadows on the giant gates of Konoha. A figure sat on top of the gates, staring out over the forest, his scarlet hair rustling in the chilly morning breeze.

Gaara looked down to the ground, looking for any signs of his teammates: The mission was going to start as soon as Tsunade arrived to set them off. He looked around, and then gave a huff.

…_Why can't everyone just hurry up…?_

Suddenly, something made a rustle through the leaves covering the forest path around the gates. Gaara looked down to see no other that Hinata. Unaware of his presence, she looked around for any sign of her friends. The Sand ninja watching her smirked softly, then disappeared in a soft wisp of sand.

Hinata, sensing the sudden burst of energy, looked up, only to meet empty space. She sighed, and looked back down, only to stare directly into the eyes of Gaara.

"Ah--Oh, Gaara! I-It's you…"

Gaara's face remained smirking. "Well, at least I'm not the only one out here early."

Hinata giggled softly. She smiled up at him, and moved some of her long, raven hair out of her face. Gaara quickly reached out to her face, reaching for her hair, taking some of it up and running his fingers through the smooth, dark strands. Hinata tilted her head to the side, raising a hand and placing it on Gaara's. Gaara returned his hand to his side and turned towards the gates. Hinata gasped, and turned as well: Tsunade stood there, smiling, with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura approaching behind her.

"Well, you two are here early!" Naruto piped up, approaching them. "Did we miss anything, Gaara? Bwahaha!"

Gaara huffed, and Hinata chuckled softly. _No, Naruto, you didn't miss much. _

"So, Hokage," Sakura spoke up. "It's just us five? Do we have a backup squad, just in case something should happen?"

Tsunade nodded. "If anything should happen, I will send Kankuro, Shino, and Ino to back you guys up."

Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "So, I guess we're all set?"

Tsunade nodded. "It would seem so."

Everyone centered their attention to the Hokage, as she gave a brief review over the mission. Hinata, though, couldn't concentrate on Tsunade: She felt….weird. The voices of her friends got slightly blurry, and her stomach began to flutter.

_...W…Wha…? _

Suddenly, there was a sickening splat. The group of ninjas turned to Hinata, who stared down at the ground, shocked: She had gotten sick. Hinata wrapped her arms around her stomach, stunned. Naruto winced slightly.

"Hey, Hinata--Are you okay?"

Hinata wiped her mouth with the edge of her sleeve, and turned to Naruto.

"Y--Yes, I--I'm fine, Naruto…"

Sakura stepped forward. "Is there anyway I can help? I mean, I am a medical ninja--!"

Tsunade walked up to Hinata. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small velvet pouch.

"I was suspecting something like this would happen…Don't worry, it's just a symptom," Tsunade whispered, slipping her the pouch. "This should make you feel better: Just take one every time you get sick."

Hinata nodded, and Tsunade continued to the group:

"Well, you guys better get going. Best luck to all of you…"

Naruto nodded, and with that, the group of ninjas headed out on their mission.

……………………………….

_Later that day, at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar:_

Kankuro, Shino, Ino, and Neji sat alongside one another: Ino ranted about her split with Shikamaru, while Shino and Kankuro listened. Neji sat silently, poking his ramen irritably with his chopsticks.

"…And, I swear, I mean--How could that lazy ass give me up?! I mean, I--Ugh!" Ino banged one of her fists on the counter. Shino nodded.

_I see why he gave her up already. _

Kankuro looked across the bar at Neji. Kankuro saw it immediately: He knew. Kankuro could see it in his eyes. Kankuro sighed, and walked across the bar to the Hyuuga. Neji directed his eyes at the puppeteer.

"…Heh. You know about Hinata, huh?" Kankuro whispered.

Neji smirked, surprised that he had known, and nodded. Kankuro took a seat next to Neji, and reclined his arms behind his head. Kankuro stared up at the ceiling, leaning his head back on his arms.

"…Sometimes, I wonder about my brother. He gets himself into the most horrible crap, sometimes," Kankuro scoffed. "I always knew that, one day, it was going to get him into serious trouble."

Neji looked up at Kankuro, who turned his eyes to the Hyuuga.

"…I guess that day has come," Kankuro said.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Neji and Kankuro turned to Ino, who was staring at them quizzically. Shino stared from behind his thick sunglasses.

"Oh--It's nothing…" Neji spoke up. He smiled, got back to his ramen, and began eating it instead of repeatedly poking at it. Kankuro returned to his seat, a smile spread softly across his face.

…_Gaara…You really have gotten yourself into some deep shit…Heh…_

Ino sighed, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and stood up.

"Well, I'll see you guys later…I've got some stuff to do, so I'd better get going…"

Ino turned and left, a small hint of slight bitterness reflecting in her eyes. Shino watched as she left.

…_What's she so agitated about…? _

Shino got up, leaving his unfinished bowl of ramen, and turned after Ino. He caught up to her, finding her seated on a bench under a willow tree on the outskirts of the forest. Shino shook his head, and preceded up to her, his hands shoved in the pockets of his large coat. Ino hung her head, so she didn't notice Shino as he approached.

"…Ino, are you alright…?"

At that moment, time seemed to go a little slower. As Ino quickly raised her head, time seemed to slow down just for that moment, as a few tears flicked from her face, excluding the crystal trails that ran down her cheeks from her stainless blue eyes, which stared up innocently at the Aburame shinobi.

Time seemed to go slightly slower for Ino as well: The wind blew a fair breeze between them, making Shino's spiky hair cascade over his eyes, which were peeking mysteriously over his dark sunglasses. The leaves that had fallen from the willow tree blew between their figures, making the scene seem even more unreal than it could ever be.

Then, time caught back up to them. Ino shook herself from her daze, then wiped away her tears, a reassuring smile now on her face.

"I--Yes, I'm fine…Thanks for your concern…"

Shino simply stared at her, his eyes showing that he knew that something truly was troubling her.

"…Is it Shikamaru, Ino…?"

Ino hesitated for a second. Shino sighed, and took a seat next to her. Ino looked up at him, surprised. Shino removed his sunglasses: A sight rarely seen….Ever.

Ino blushed slightly. _He--He's kind of cute…I never noticed--I mean, he's always hidden behind those rims…_

"Ino?"

Ino shook her head once again, snapping back to reality. Shino stared deeply at her.

"…Why are you letting your relationship with Shikamaru hurt you so badly? From what I know about you, you're stronger than that, Ino."

Ino shook her head, her frown reappearing on her face, deeply upset.

"I--I don't know why I'm letting him get to me…I just--I just don't want to believe that…That it's over…"

Ino jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder. Then, Shino smiled.

"…When I took off my sunglasses, you seemed shocked to see what I really looked like."

Ino blushed, embarrassed, and chuckled sarcastically. "Well, I--Um--Yeah, I guess…"

Shino looked up at Ino's blonde ponytail. "You know, I've never seen you with your hair down…May I…?"

Ino nodded, and she reached up, pulling the tie out of her ponytail, letting her long, blonde hair cascade down her shoulders. Ino shook her head, making sure that her hair didn't stick up. Shino remained silent for a second, simply staring at the young kunoichi. Then, he got up, and began to walk away. Ino stared, her mouth slightly hanging open.

_He…He's not even going to say anything…?_

"…Maybe you two were just too different."

Ino gasped slightly at his words: He turned back to her.

"…That's probably why he left you….Either way…" Shino smiled.

"…He was a fool to let you go, Yamanaka Ino."

And with that, the Aburame boy turned and walked away, leaving the blond girl speechless and smiling.

…_Th--Thank you, Aburame Shino…_

……………………………….

The group of ninjas continued towards the waterfront, dashing through the limbs of the trees in the forest, making every move almost invisible to the human eye. Naruto led, with Sasuke and Sakura slightly behind, Gaara behind them, and Hinata in the back.

Hinata took a bottle of water from the pack on her back, drinking from it as she ran. She looked ahead at the group, running faster upon realizing that she was falling behind.

…_Geez, this pregnancy is really getting to me…I hope I'm not too much of a burden, excluding the fact that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura don't even know about my situation…_

"Are you okay?"

Hinata looked up at Gaara, who was still running before her, only slowing down to her pace. Hinata shook her head, smiling.

"N-No, I'm fine, Gaara…"

Gaara nodded, and then turned his gaze forward.

"Hey!" Naruto suddenly shouted. "I see the ocean!"

The five ninjas popped out of the forest, landing on the rocks surrounding the water. Naruto surveyed the water, looking for any sign of the shark-like Akatsuki.

"Okay, I don't see him," Naruto said. "Perhaps we should split up and look."

"Heh, there's no need, Naruto."

Before Naruto knew what had happened, he impacted with the water below after the force of a blunt sword struck his back. Naruto swam back up, and looked up at the top of the rocks: His friends were facing none other than Hoshigaki Kisame.


	11. Chapter 11

"…You."

Sasuke glared at the shark Akatsuki before him. The Akatsuki didn't wear the traditional robe/cloak though…He simple wore black pants wrapped at the ends and wore a black tank top with the Akatsuki symbol on it. His sword was now swung over his shoulder, and he bared his teeth in a devilish smile, staring at the ninjas challenging him.

"…Yeah. Me. So…It's been at least--What--Two, three years, Sasuke?"

Sasuke scoffed.

"Well," Kisame continued. "…I see you and your friends haven't changed much in the power quo."

Sakura scowled. "Hey, watch it, pal. A lot has changed in the past three years."

Kisame tilted his head. "…Well, as much as I can tell, the only one of you that has changed is that Naruto kid: It looks like the Kyuubi is getting the better of him."

"…No, it's not."

The group of ninja turned to the cliff, to see Naruto climb swiftly over the side. His red and yellow eyes were flaring angrily.

"Heh…The only thing that the Nine Tails has changed, really, is my temper," he growled.

"…Okay, enough talking," Kisame said, smiling. "It's time I showed you true power, Naru--!"

Before Kisame knew it, Naruto had grabbed Kisame with a clawed hand and threw him into the ocean below. Kisame landed on the surface of the water, using his chakra to stand on the water. He looked up at the figure of Naruto, who stared down at him from the cliff. Naruto, along with the other ninja, jumped down to the water, all standing on its surface. Kisame scowled, and pointed his blunt sword of the vulpine boy. He shifted his eyes to Gaara, to Sasuke, to Sakura, and then turned to Hinata. He smirked.

"…Heh. The sickness is getting to you, isn't it, Hinata?"

Hinata frowned, and then turned to her friends, who now stared at her.

"What does he mean, Hinata?" Naruto said.

Hinata gasped, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, Kisame burst into a laugh.

"You mean, you haven't told your friends yet? Of course, Gaara here knows."

The group turned to Gaara, who stared at them all, irritated.

"…Shut up, freak."

"Gaara," Naruto said coldly. "What does Kisame mean by 'sickness'?"

Gaara glared at Naruto. Everyone stared at the Sand shinobi, waiting for an answer. Hinata looked down at her feet, waiting to hear the secret come from his mouth.

"I…Can't…"

Hinata looked up: Gaara stared directly at Kisame.

"…I can't tell you."

Naruto grimaced, and then turned to Kisame as he laughed again.

"…Well, someone's a little embarrassed that his martial status is about to become 'parent'!"

Gaara stared at Naruto's speechless expression, and Hinata cupped her face in her hands.

Sakura's green eyes were wide, while Sasuke just stared at Kisame.

"…What?"

Kisame was still grinning evilly. "Yeah--Apparently, as I have been told by your brother, Sasuke, Gaara did a little something he really shouldn't have done, and now, his little girlfriend is pregnant. Bwahaha!"

Naruto's eyebrows curled with difficulty of understanding the situation: He turned slowly to Gaara.

"…Gaara--!!!"

Naruto snarled as Kisame's sword impacted with his jawbone. Kisame snickered.

"Well, are we going to chat all day, or are we going to fight?"

Naruto stood up of the water, and growled furiously at Kisame.

"You'll wish you had never done that," he said, his voice suddenly inhuman. "Sasuke! Gaara! Let's go!"

Sakura scowled at him. "Hey, what about--!"

Naruto glared at her.

"You and Hinata go to the cliffs--If what Kisame says is true, than that would put Hinata in an unstable condition to fight. Take her to the cliffs, and ask her what exactly happened! I want to know what's going on!"

Sakura hesitated for a second, then nodded. She grabbed Hinata by her left arm and took her up to the cliffs. Naruto turned back to Sasuke and Gaara, and then to Kisame, who pointed his sword at the three shinobi.

"…This should be fun," Kisame snickered.

……………………………….

Sakura and Hinata landed at the top of the cliff: Hinata automatically stood up, stumbling over and leaning against the next tree, her face upset. Sakura stood up off the ground, and stared at the agonized Hyuuga before her. The pink-haired kunoichi wore an expression of confusion and frustration.

"Hinata--I'm your best friend…Why didn't you tell me?"

Hinata looked up, and frowned unhappily.

"I…If I told everyone…I don't think that anyone would have approved of Gaara any more than the incident that caused this--!"

"Whoa, whoa--Wait a second," Sakura interrupted. "You mean, this pregnancy is from when Gaara assaulted you?!"

Hinata stared. "What else would it be from??"

Sakura stared at her as if Hinata figured that she was stupid.

"…You do recall that I am Tsunade's apprentice, and that I do know about your appointment with her when you had bark scraped in your back."

Hinata blushed furiously. "…S-So you though it was from that??"

Sakura nodded. Hinata sighed, slid down the side of the tree she rested on, and sat on the ground. She stared up at the sky, listening to the battle sounds of the ninja below. Sakura shrugged, and took a seat next to her friend.

"…So, what's it like?"

Hinata turned to Sakura, confused by the question.

"What do you mean, Sakura?"

"I mean, being a mom and all…What's it like so far?"

Hinata sighed, then smiled.

"Well, I'm not really sure yet…I mean, I still need to tell my father…Even though I don't know how I'm going to manage that…And I can't really say what being a mother is like until I'm actually a mother, can I?"

Sakura chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll just have to ask you in nine months time."

Hinata smiled softly, not feeling as embarrassed as she once was.

"…Thanks, Sakura…"

Sakura flashed a grin.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for!"

……………………………….

"Ugh--!!"

Sasuke did a back flip and landed unsteadily on his knees as he was knocked back by the shark Akatsuki. Kisame fought them all with all their power put together, resisting all their efforts, only being slightly put off by the rapid blows thrown at him by the demonic Naruto. Sasuke stood up and dashed back into the group of battling ninja, taking out multiple kunai and hacking them at the Akatsuki.

Kisame smirked, turning quickly and using his blade to block the weapons against him. Sasuke stepped back, Gaara looking up at him as he slightly bent to his side.

"Our chakra is running out, Sasuke," Gaara said, looking down at the water. "This continuous battling on the ocean is sucking it away."

Sasuke glared at Gaara. "Well, however longer I have should be enough for me!"

(Author's Note:….I CAN'T THINK!!!)

Sasuke clamped one hand around the opposite wrist, clenching his hand. He bared his teeth, and his hand began to spark--

"Sasuke, DON'T!!!"

Sasuke let go of his wrist, and looked up. Sakura was coming down from the cliff, racing toward the fight scene.

"Sasuke, if you use the Chidori now, you won't have enough chakra to stay above water and you won't be able to battle anymore! We need you to fight, Sasuke!"

Sasuke grumbled and nodded, turning towards battle.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Kisame were locked in a frenzy of throws, Gaara occasionally throwing in a blast of sand. Naruto struggled to concentrate on his fighting, edging another swing from Kisame. The demon inside of him was itching to break free, wanting to tear the shark Akatsuki limb from limb.

**Naruto…Let me out, boy…Let me rip this shark to shreds…**

_I can't--! I risk putting my friends in danger…_

**Make them go away…Make them leave…LET ME FREE!!!**

The Kyuubi sent a throb of pain through Naruto's head. Naruto snarled, and then thrust out his arm, sending an unnatural wave of wind towards Kisame, sending him stumbling back. Naruto thrust a hand to his head, clenching his crimson hair, his vulpine ears going back. Sakura, Sasuke, Gaara, and even Kisame stopped and stared at him, the shark Akatsuki full of curiosity.

Kisame's curious smile turned into a horrified scowl when Naruto looked up.

His eyes were different. His eyes were surrounded by thick, black outlines like those of Gaara's, and his eyes were yellow, with thin slits for pupils. The ears on his head were longer, and, suddenly, a red aura burst around him in the shape of a large vulpine.

"…_Go…_" said an inhuman voice through Naruto's unmoving lips.

Sakura stared in horror. "Naruto--!"

Sasuke grabbed Sakura around her waist, his face serious. "Gaara, let's go!"

Gaara sneered at the Uchiha. "There's no way I'm going--I've got to teach this bastard a lesson about keeping his mouth shut…"

Sasuke glared at Gaara.

"…Whatever."

Sasuke held onto Sakura, taking her from the battle scene and onto the cliffs.

Hinata looked up as they jumped before her: She stood up.

"Sasuke? Sakura? W--Where are Gaara and Naruto?"

Sakura looked up at the Hyuuga.

"Naruto insisted that we stay away from the fight: Something's wrong with him, he doesn't sound human…"

Hinata frowned, stumbling over to the edge of the cliff and looking down.

"Then--Why is Gaara still down there?"

Sasuke shrugged. "He insisted he should stay behind…Jerk."

……………………………….

"…_Gaara, I said GO!!!" _

"No way, Naruto. I'm not letting you have all the fun."

Naruto snarled irritably. _"Don't say I didn't warn you! HRRRRAAAAHHHHH!!!!" _

Naruto's glowing hands slammed down onto the water, causing the water to form a tidal wave, straight after the shark Akatsuki. Kisame quickly put forth his sword, and, being a Mist ninja, easily avoided the wave.

Of course, that was just a distraction.

Naruto plunged up from under the water, punching Kisame upwards from below. The Akatsuki flew up, and began to fall back towards the water.

_SPLOOSH!_ The form of Kisame splattered into water. Naruto winced.

_A shadow clone…!_

Naruto lashed out an arm, quickly catching hold of the sword aimed at him. Kisame smiled as the sword began to suck the chakra away from Naruto's hands. Naruto winced, knowing that if he let go, he would be struck.

_FWAKOOM!_

Naruto jumped back as a blast of sand from Gaara attacked the Akatsuki, stunning him for a second. Naruto smiled at Gaara.

"Thanks--?!"

Gaara looked half dead: His chakra had depleted enormously from the mix of sand attacks and the walking on water. He shook his head.

"…Get him."

Suddenly, the glow of chakra from Gaara feet disappeared, and he plunged underwater. Naruto snarled, his eyes wide.

"GAARA!!!!"

Naruto turned and cut back more attacks from Kisame, his mind set on getting to the Sand shinobi.

_Damn it! Gaara is a reincarnation of sand--He can't swim: He'll just sink like wet sand…_

And then, Naruto heard it.

"Hinata, what are you doing--HINATA, DON'T!!!"

…_Splash…_

……………………………….

"…_I'm sinking, aren't I…?"_

Gaara sank further and further down into the water. His eyes remained staring calmly at the light shining down through the glittering surface of the crystal water.

"…_Heh…I guess this is it, isn't it?...I'm really going to die…"_

Gaara's hand slowly reached up towards the surface, pretending to trace the sunlight with his finger.

"…_I'm out of chakra…There's no escaping my fate now…"_

Gaara's hand coiled into a fist, then let loose again as the darkness began to take over. His air supply began to run out.

"…_I…I'll never see…My…Child…"_

…_Splash…_

"…_What?..."_

A figure was swimming towards him: It's hand frantically reached out to him, coaxing im to reach out for it.

"…_Hinata…" _

And everything went black.


	12. Chapter 12

Hinata's time began to run out: She could only hold her breath for so long. She clenched onto Gaara, shaking him.

_Gaara! Gaara, please, wake up!!! _

Hinata stared sadly at his unconscious form, his dark eyes tight shut.

…_The same eyes of the person that saved you so many times…The person everyone cast down for being a demon, yet showed the most affection when you needed it most…_

Hinata thought for a second: It was risky, but she had to try. She focused her mind on Gaara, focusing, trying to tap into his mind, her breath still slowly running out.

…_Demon…Can you hear me…? _

She was replied with silence.

…_Please…I--If you can hear me…You have to save Gaara…He is your master…You have to save him!!! _

Suddenly, Hinata was shrouded in darkness. She opened her eyes, and raised her hands. Hinata could breathe: She wasn't underwater anymore! Suddenly, she looked down: Gaara was gone! She was just surrounded by darkness, and then a voice sounded out from the abyss:

…_Why have you called upon me, girl…?_

Hinata realized where she was: She was in the cage of the Shukaku, somewhere deep inside Gaara. She looked around, and then replied:

…_Gaara is in trouble…He's sinking to the bottom of the ocean: He's drowning! Can't you use your power to save him?!_

…_I can't do that. _

Hinata stared out into the darkness, agitated.

_WHY?!?!_

…_Sand has no use under the surface of the water…It will just erode away. I can do nothing to save Gaara or myself. _

Hinata slammed down on the pitch-black ground below her, sending a sudden poof of sand around her hand.

…_PLEASE! Gaara is your master, you horrible monster! You have to do something--AGH!!!!_

Suddenly, a massive, clawed arm shot out from the shadows, snatching up Hinata in its animal-like grasp. The head and neck of the Shukaku shot out from the darkness, glaring at her.

_DON'T IMPUNE MY HONOR, YOU WRETCHED GIRL! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!!! _

The Shukaku threw Hinata aside, slamming her into the invisible surface. She rolled to the side, stopping herself with her hands. Hinata pushed herself to her feet, and spat a small amount of blood arrogantly to the side.

The Shukaku glared at her with bright, yellow eyes.

…_Get out._

The next thing Hinata knew, she was back in her body, holding Gaara close to her as they sank into the watery abyss. Hinata looked up at the surface, and tried to swim: She had no energy after the mind attack. She looked down at Gaara's pale face, and then stared up at the light from the surface as the darkness consumed her.

"…_I'm…Sorry…"_

……………………………….

Naruto gasped: The bubbles had stopped. He shot up his demon eyes back at Kisame.

"…You bastard…"

Sakura stared down at the water in horror. She turned on her heels, ready to plunge into the cold water after her friends. An arm shot out at her, grasping her arm, holding her above the surface. She looked up to meet Sasuke's eyes.

"…They're gone."

Sakura stared disbelievingly, and then turned to the Akatsuki who stood, smiling.

"Heh…I guess you never knew the true meaning of sacrifice…" Kisame sneered. "In life, there are choices to be made…And people must be sacrificed in the process."

Sakura glared angrily at him, her fists clenched with fury. She turned and ran at the Akatsuki, drawing out a kunai from a pouch.

"You monster--I'll kill you!!"

Sakura launched the kunai-equipped hand at Kisame, only to be blocked by his massive sword. Sakura smiled, and thrust her free fist across Kisame's face, sending him stumbling back. The pink-haired kunoichi stared at him, her face infuriated, tears forming in her eyes.

"You killed my two best friends…You killed their future…Now, I'll kill you!!!"

Sakura turned to the two ninja behind her.

"Naruto…Sasuke…Back me up!"

They both stared at her for a second, surprised by her sudden valor: They both nodded.

Sakura took two kunai into her hands and launched full force at the Akatsuki, who got his sword at the ready. Kisame raised his blade into the air, and then slammed it into the water, sending the water thrusting forward at the kunoichi. Sakura jumped into the air, letting the wave pass under her, and launched the kunai at the shark ninja. He crossed his sword in front of his body, the kunai bouncing off of it and into the water. Kisame pointed his sword at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"…You…You and your friends…You're all fools. As long as I have Samehada, I can't be defeated."

Kisame raised his sword and, swinging it like a bat, sent a jet of water streaming at the girl. Sakura put up her arms in a defensive position, waiting for the impact.

"Sakura, look out!!"

Naruto jumped in front of her, tilted his head back, and when he put his face forward, a supersonic roar emitted from his throat, sending the water stream cascading in different directions. Naruto got down on his clawed hands, running like an animal across the water at the Akatsuki, Sasuke following close behind. Kisame armed himself once again, waiting for the impact of the ninja against the Samehada. Naruto lunged at the Akatsuki, his teeth bared, when Kisame swung his sword at him.

_THUNK._

Sasuke and Sakura both stared.

Kisame stared at the ninja, whose fangs had caught the Samehada in its mouth. Naruto's canines bored deep into the scaly blade, his red eyes mad with fury. Kisame smiled as the sword began to glow with the aura of chakra.

"You might want to let go…The Samehada is stealing your chakra as we speak…"

Naruto winced, removing his fangs from the sword and jumping back. Kisame examined the Samehada as the two deep puncture wounds refilled themselves. He turned to the three ninja and smiled evilly.

"Is it just me…Or is this fight going a little slow…?"

(I CAN'T THINK!!! WRITER'S BLOCK!!! ARGH!!! OO)

……………………………….

The Hyuuga woke with a start.

_W--What the…?!_

She bolted upright, hacking up water. Hinata looked around: She was in the forest again, near the cliff to the sea. Hinata looked down at her soaking clothes, and then to the trail of wet sand leading away from her.

_GAARA!!!_

Hinata stood up, running along the trail of sand, until she came to a figure no more than a damp heap on the ground. Hinata gasped, her eyes wide.

…_No…_

The raven-haired girl ran to the Sand ninja's side, rolling him onto his back. The red-haired Sand ninja resembled a human made of damp sand, unable to move. Hinata had seen this before when Gaara was attacked by the ninja from the Takumi village (Episode 218, bitches!!! X.x).

…_I have to act fast…_

Quickly, Hinata drew her chakra to her hands.

…_I-I've never done this before, but I have to try…_

The Hyuuga placed her glowing hands over Gaara's chest, focusing hard at her efforts to heal him. Her eyes were tight shut, her focus straight at the boy before her.

…_Come on…Work…_

Suddenly, she heard a gasp of air come from the figure before her. Hinata sighed with relief, then moved her hands up to Gaara's face. His aquamarine eyes opened slowly, staring up at the Hyuuga.

"…Hinata…?"

Hinata smiled, her white eyes welling up with tears of happiness.

"I--It's going to be okay, Gaara…I'm here…"

Gaara nodded slowly, and closed his eyes again. Hinata smiled: It made her happy to finally see him rest…

Then she heard it:

_AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!_

Hinata turned, wide-eyed, to the cliff. The shout had been from Naruto: And it was a cry of anguish. She turned to Gaara: Could she leave him there to help? Hinata bent over, placing a soft kiss on Gaara's cheek.

"I'll be back…"

……………………………….

The Samehada lay in pieces on the surface of the water.

Kisame was curled up on the surface of the water, his face a mixture of pain and shock.

Naruto lay unconscious nearby, his two canine teeth shattered, blood oozing from the corners of his mouth.

Sasuke walked across the water to the fallen Akatsuki, a kunai knife in hand. Kisame shot his shark-like eyes up at the Uchiha.

"H--How?! How could this happen?!"

Sasuke smirked, his fist tightening on the kunai.

"You said the fight was going to slow…Naruto just ended it…Along with your life…"

And with that, there was a flash of metal, a scream, and a splatter of blood along the surface of the water.

Sasuke turned to Sakura, his hand covered with the shark's blood.

(NOTE: THEY'RE COMING OUT WITH A VEGGIETALES: PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING MOVIE!!!!!!! WAII!!!!!!! )

"…Can you heal Naruto?"

Sakura looked down at the ninja on the ground.

"Of course, Sasuke…Let's get him up to--!"

"Sakura! Sasuke!"

The two ninja turned to see the Hyuuga running toward them, her clothes soaked.

"HINATA!" Sakura shouted, running to her friend.

Hinata stopped as Sakura ran up to her.

"Hinata, what happened?! Where's Gaara?"

Hinata smiled softly.

"He's up on the cliff…I'm not exactly sure what happened…I just woke up over there…"

Sasuke nodded.

"Maybe the demon in him saved the both of you."

Hinata smiled.

…_Thank you…_

A dark voice echoed through her mind.

_Shut up. _


	13. Chapter 13

Gaara lay still under the trees, waiting for Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura. His stared up at the sky, pondering what had just happened. Had the demon inside of him saved him…And saved Hinata as well? Gaara continued thinking about this, when the demon's voice popped up in his mind.

**I did it for you and you alone, Gaara: Don't even put that girl in the equation. **

…_Then why didn't you just leave Hinata in the ocean to die…?_

…**She was clinging onto you. I had no choice.**

_You could've just taken her off of me._

……**..Forget it.**

Gaara smiled, still staring deeply into the cool blue sky.

…_You know she's precious to me…That's why you saved her…_

…**.I would've killed her if I had the chance. **

"Gaara!"

The Sand shinobi turned his eyes to the three ninja running to him. The raven-haired Hyuuga smiled down at him.

"Feeling better, Gaara…?"

Gaara shook his head and stood up. Looking around, he realized something was missing.

"…Where's my gourd?"

Hinata frowned, and then smiled slightly.

"You must have lost it when you went under…"

_Perfect. Just perfect._

Gaara rolled his eyes. 

"Well, I better get to Suna and get another one made…What happened to the Akatsuki?"

Everyone turned to Sasuke, who smirked.

"…I kind of ended his life."

Gaara smiled.

"Kind of…?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Aw, you know what I mean!"

Sakura, Naruto and Hinata all laughed slightly: It was casual that those two just had to fight.

……………………………….

"Hey."

Shikamaru opened one eye and looked around: He was lying lazily on a tree branch in hopes that no one would bother him. Now, he spotted the Sand kunoichi with a fan hauled over her back.

"What do you want, Temari…?"

The dirty blonde kunoichi smiled.

"Gaara and the team are on their way back."

Shikamaru looked down at her with slight interest.

"Was anyone injured?"

"Well, Kisame's dead."

Shikamaru sighed, and slumped against the tree. 

"How troublesome…"

Temari giggled softly. Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What's so funny?" he asked lazily.

"You think that your reaction to Kisame's death would be more stunned…And all you say is 'How troublesome'…"

Shikamaru and Temari stared at each other for a second.

Then, for whatever reason existed in their minds, they both burst out laughing. Shikamaru, of course, slid to the side and fell out of his tree and at Temari's feet.

You'd think Temari would help him. She continued to laugh even harder. Shikamaru sighed.

"How troublesome…"

……………………………….

Tsunade stood at the gates to Konoha, smiling at the four ninja that approached. She noticed that one ninja was limping along, one arm hanging over the Hyuuga girl's shoulder. Tsunade frowned for a second, and then smiled as the limping ninja looked up.

"Welcome back," she said, staring at them. "I suspect everything went well?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Yep. He's dead."

Tsunade chuckled, and shook her head. She turned to Gaara and Hinata.

"Do you need medical assistance, Kazekage?"

Gaara stood straight up, and shook his head.

"I'll live, Hokage."

Tsunade nodded, and then turned to Hinata.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Hinata nodded. "I'm fine."

Naruto turned to his friends and to the Hokage.

"You guys go ahead. I need to talk to Gaara alone."

Hinata stared for a second, and nodded.

"Okay, Naruto."

Hinata and the others left with the Hokage. Gaara watched them as they left, but was quickly distracted by the clawed hand that suddenly pinned him up against a tree. Naruto's red and yellow eyes were flaming.

"Okay, why didn't you tell me?"

Gaara stared. "What…?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT HINATA WAS PREGNANT?!?!?!"

Gaara and Naruto were both silent.

"I mean, I know you raped her, but--PREGNANT?!?!"

Naruto's clawed hands clenched tighter on Gaara. Gaara's black-rimmed eyes winced at the blonde ninja.

"…I didn't know this was going to happen, Naruto."

Naruto's demonic eyes stared deeply at the Kazekage. Gaara's aquamarine eyes replied emotionlessly.

"…She just said that…That I should be happy…"

Naruto and Gaara stared at one another for a second. The red-orange haired Shinobi sighed, and let go of the Kazekage. The Sand ninja shook his head, and turned to Naruto. Naruto smiled.

"…You should be happy."

Gaara smiled slightly and nodded, turning back toward the gates of Konoha. Naruto watched him as he strode out of sight. His red eyes lowered a little.

_I know your full potent when you lose control, Gaara…Be careful with her._

……………………………….

Sakura heaved a sigh, and fell back into her chair. Hinata took a seat across from her, along with Ino sitting next to Sakura. The three of them were at the Tea Shop for a relaxing conversation to relieve the tension from the mission. Ino smiled brightly.

"So, how was the mission? Did everything go well," she perked up.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, everything went great, and we even discovered a few secrets," she said, turning her glance to Hinata. Hinata turned her head down in embarrassment. Ino turned her glance from one to the other.

"What's going on? What secrets?"

Sakura was silent: She continued to stare at Hinata. The Hyuuga girl looked up at Sakura, and shrugged.

"You might as well tell her. Everyone else knows."

With that, Hinata stood up and walked away. Sakura's green eyes watched her figure as she left, her mind wondering when her pregnancy was going to show. Ino turned back to the kunoichi.

"Well? What is it?"

Sakura turned her head to the side. "…Hinata…Hinata's pregnant."

Ino stared blankly at Sakura. Suddenly, she burst into laughter. Sakura stared at Ino, stunned.

"What on Earth is so funny about that?"

Ino shook her head, smiling.

"Why are you so worked up about that? Isn't Hinata's condition a good thing?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, but…"

Ino stretched her arms over her head, grinning.

"Ah, who cares if the only reason she's like that is because she was raped? They like each other now, don't they?"

"Well, yeah…"

Ino lowered her arms, and brought her hands close to her chest. Sakura noticed that Ino was blushing slightly.

_Ino's particularly giddy today…Wonder what's got her so bubbly._

"And when two people like one another," she continued, "They should be together!"

And, right there, it hit Sakura like a brick.

"Alright, Ino, who do you like?!" Sakura shouted, smiling.

Ino turned a little redder. She cocked an eyebrow, her bottom lip sticking out as if she was pouting.

"What makes you assume that?"

"Well," Sakura said. "You're as red as a cherry, and all you can talk about is love. So, who do you like, Ino?"

Ino relaxed a little bit, and sighed. She took a flower from the small vase placed on the table for decoration: She twirled it in her hand.

"I...I'm not really sure if I like him or not. It's like--An infatuation. Just because he helped me after Shikamaru and I separated. He supported me; Because of him, I had never felt so reassured in my life."

"Well, he sounds perfect, but that doesn't answer my question. Who is it?"

"It's--Shino!"

Sakura tilted her head. "What--?"

Sakura turned to where Ino had directed her attention to see the Insect Shinobi approaching.

"Hello, Ino. Sakura."

Sakura nodded. "Nice to see you, Shino."

Ino smiled softly. She twiddled her fingers and directed her blue eyes to the ninja.

"Hey there, Shino," she said happily.

Shino nodded in reply. He turned his attention to Sakura.

"Are the others back from the mission?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure where they went," Sakura said, shooting a glance at Ino's nervous hands. She smiled, finally getting the picture. Sakura stood up and turned to leave.

"I'd better get going. Later, Ino!"

Sakura turned to leave, giving Shino a slight nudge toward the blond kunoichi. Shino fixed his tilted sunglasses, glaring as Sakura left. He silently took a seat next to Ino. Ino looked down at her hands.

_Great. Now I know how Hinata feels: Being really shy around the person you admire. _

Shino tilted his sunglasses down, his black eyes staring down at the blonde coyly. She felt his stare, turning upwards to look at him. She smiled.

"So…Um…What's up?"

"Nothing much," Shino replied calmly.

Ino shook her head. "Um--Okay," _OH, WHAT AM I DOING?!?!_

_...Hey! _

Ino had a thought: She reached up behind her neck, and untied the ribbon that kept her hair up. Her blond hair fell down her shoulders, and she shook her head to straighten it out. Ino smiled confidently, hoping that this would get some reaction from the Aburame Shinobi.

Shino turned to her: An expected reaction. Then, he did something that Ino did not expect: He stood up, turned, and began to walk away.

"I'll take my leave then, Ino. See you later."

Ino stared in shock as he walked away. No reaction. Nothing. She tilted her head down silently, embarrassed by her failure. Then, on some strange instinct, she stood up quickly and ran after Shino.

Shino stood, shocked, as he felt a body wrap its arms around him and press itself close to him. He wore a really heavy jacket, and he could still feel their warmth. Ino buried her face into the large collar of Shino's jacket. The Insect Shinobi twitched as he felt warmth soak through his jacket: Ino was sobbing.

"I…I never really thanked you--For helping me when I needed it most," she said softly, holding back her tears. Shino remained silent.

…_This…This is a completely new side of this girl…She's not as whiney…She seems more…Desperate…_

Shino made a small gasp as Ino's hands clenched tighter on his jacket. The shinobi quickly turned, forcing Ino to let go of his jacket: He caught her by the arms.

"What are you--!"

Shino's mouth stopped. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and the blue of her eyes seemed to deepen. Shino felt one of his hands on her arm riding up closer to her shoulder. Ino's sobbing face turned into a smile.

"…I never thanked you…When I felt horrible…Worthless…You were there for me. You said I could make it…I…Thank you…"

Shino's eyes widened: He felt a surge of lust go through his body. His hands reached up and clenched onto either one of Ino's shoulders, and he pressed his lips tightly against hers.

Ino felt her arms react immediately: She reached up as far as she could with her clenched arms and grasped onto his coat, making damn sure that he didn't pull away. After what seemed like forever, she pulled away, smiling, her eyes staring up curiously.

"…Why don't we discuss this...thing between us…somewhere more private?"


	14. READ THIS!

**READ THIS NOW:**

Okay, I wasn't exactly sure how to continue the story, so I was thinking about it and I couldn't think of anything. Well, last night, I had a really weird dream about Gaara and Hinata breaking up while she was pregnant…BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN RAH!!!!!...But she was further into it in the dream, so I guess I'll continue this story by having a couple of months go by undisturbed until she's further along…Well, anyways, I was daydreaming and I saw this--SO I HAVE TO PUT THIS IN BWAHAHA!!! Okay, here:

……………………………….

Kiba rushed toward his teammate's home: He was eager to tell him that Hinata and the others were back safely from their mission! The Inuzuka Shinobi literally walked up to the door of his Aburame friend, opened it without care and bolted in. He darted around the living room, and shouted:

"Hey, Shino, you here?"

There was a brief silence, and then Shino's voice came from his room.

"Kiba--What are you doing here?!"

Kiba tilted his head a little: Shino's voice sounded a bit frantic, like he was hiding something. Kiba shrugged, and walked up to the door of the Aburame's room.

"What are you doing, hiding away in your room?"

Shino huffed. "No, I'm--sleeping. Please, Kiba, get out of here."

Kiba laughed. "Heh, c'mon, Shino, it's not that late!"

The Inuzuka turned the door handle and proceeded.

"I just wanted to tell ya that Hinata and the others are back from the--OH MY GOD!!!!!"

Kiba stared at the Aburame who lay in his bed, and then turned his eyes to the blonde kunoichi beneath him. There was a disturbed silence, and then Kiba smirked, and said:

"Dude, I'm sorry, if I had known that you had actually scored, I would've--"

"KIBA, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!"


	15. Chapter 14

…_I…I've changed so much…_

The Hyuuga heiress looked down at herself in the reflection of the lake. It had been six months since the death of Kisame, not to mention her little 'incident' with Gaara. Now, Hinata looked more like an adult, and the bulge of her tummy was visible from the outside of her sweater. Hinata smiled, and looked up as the morning sun broke the horizon and through the dawn mist.

…_Hikari…_

She sighed, and the Hyuuga turned back towards her home.

For the past six months, the attacks of the Akatsuki had suddenly…Stopped. People were cautious for a while, but after, they had thought that the organization had just given up. Unlike the last time, though, things hadn't really changed, except for the whole Shino-and-Ino shtick…And the beating Kiba received from Shino after the Inuzuka had interrupted their…Yeah. Other than that, Sasuke and Sakura were still going steady, and rumors were flying around that Sasuke was going to ask Sakura for the 'ultimate commitment'. Gaara and Hinata were alright too, of course: The Kazekage was currently in Suna, making preparations for his heir's arrival. Kankuro and Temari had stayed behind in Konoha, though, for their own reasons. Shikamaru and Temari's friendship had become even tighter: They were as close as lovers, only they really weren't in a romantic relationship (Of course, that's not what Kankuro assumed).

Okay, back to reality…

Gaara looked through the documents on his desk: All the preparations were made, and he could go back to Konoha to be with his woman. He turned to leave his office, when an object in a nearby box caught his eye. The Kazekage reached into the box, and a familiar face was brought to him through his hand: The teddy bear he had never let go of as a child. Gaara let out a small sigh, and placed the bear on his desk. He turned, placing a hand on his pocket to make sure the object inside was safe, and walked out the doors.

……………………………….

"You're never gonna catch me!"

"Hey!"

Hinata smiled softly, watching the two young children playing in front of the Ichiraku ramen bar. She leaned back against the tree she rested under near the side of the road, stroking her stomach gently. Hinata sighed, feeling relaxed, when someone's voice shouted out to her.

"Hey, Hinata!"

Hinata looked up to see the Suna puppeteer, Kankuro, approaching her. The Hyuuga girl smiled and waved gently at him.

"Hi, Kankuro…What is it?"

Kankuro smiled. "Gaara's on his way back; He should be here soon."

Hinata nodded. "Alright, thanks for telling me…"

The Hyuuga got to her feet, and started off. Kankuro took a step toward her as she stumbled a little.

"Do you need help, Hyuuga…?"

Hinata smiled, and stood up straight. "I may be pregnant, but I'm still the same ninja. I'll be alright."

Kankuro nodded, and left her to her business.

……………………………….

_The darkness seemed to go on forever. _

"…_Where am I…?" _

_A sliver of light shone into the darkness, revealing a figure in the distance._

"…_Who's there…?"_

_The figure was the Kazekage--But he wasn't the same. He was only a child, and his head was bent, his face hidden, tears dripping down from his face._

"…_It's…It's me…As a child…"_

_Gaara got close to the child-version of himself. He reached out towards the figure. The child looked up: Gaara wrenched his hand back._

"_What?!"_

_It wasn't him: It was a younger girl. Her hair was red, tipped with dark blue. Her eyes were green as his, lined with the same black: The sign of the Shukaku. _

"_What is this…?!" _

_Gaara looked behind the crying child: There was a demon. It was sand-colored like the Shukaku, slender like a giant cat. Its ears were long and blue, flicking nervously. It's yellow, cat-like eyes stared down at Gaara and the young girl, snarling deeply._

_That's when it hit Gaara: He looked at the girl._

"…_You…You are…"_

"…NO!!!!"

Gaara opened his eyes and sat up, shaking his head. He looked around his surroundings, confused: The Konoha gates were visible in the distance.

_What happened…? I don't sleep…I must have fallen unconscious…But…how?_

The Kazekage shook his head, and continued toward the gates. His hand reached into his pocket to ensure that the item he carried was still there, and upon finding it safe, he sighed. Gaara reached the gates, and looked up to find people waiting for him. Kankuro and Temari were there: Kankuro smiled.

"Hey, bro, welcome back."

Gaara silently nodded, then turned to Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata, who stood nearby. The Kazekage strode over to them, Hinata stepping forward to meet him. Gaara strode a little faster towards her, automatically placing his hands on her arms and pulling her toward him once she was in reach. Hinata smiled, and buried her face into his neck, embracing him.

"It's good to have you back, Gaara," she said lovingly.

Gaara replied with a simple "Hn,".

Hinata pulled back, placing her hands tenderly on Gaara's chest. Her pale eyes looked up at him. Gaara's face looked slightly upset.

"Gaara, are you okay?" Hinata said softly. "Is something bothering you?"

…_Should I tell her about the vision…?_

"I'm…Fine," Gaara said emotionlessly.

The Kazekage turned to Naruto and Sakura. Naruto grinned widely, his red eyes gleaming.

"Welcome back, Gaara," he said happily.

Gaara nodded. He grasped Hinata's hand, and began to walk away with her.

"Hinata, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Hinata stumbled forward as he dragged her. "Gaara, please, you're hurting me--!"

Gaara loosened his grip on her hand, but still pulled her slightly. Hinata sighed.

…_He's still so rough, no matter what he tries…_

Gaara pulled Hinata gently into the forest and on until they reached a clearing.

"Gaara, where are we--!"

There it was: The crater. The crater that the Kyuubi had left imprinted in the rock wall of the waterfall when it was defeated…The spot where Naruto had disappeared, and began the seven months of his absence. Hinata turned to Gaara.

"Gaara, what are we doing here…?"

The Kazekage mumbled something under his breath, then pulled Hinata close to him. She looked up at him, confused.

"Hinata, I--Hn…"

Gaara reached into his pocket, slipped something into Hinata's hand, and then let go of her.

"…I'm not sure why I can't say it to your face…But…As Kazekage, this is a requirement…"

Hinata looked down at the small red box he had placed in her hand. She stared at it curiously, and then flipped open the small lid. Hinata stared in shock: She felt her heart nearly thrust out of her chest.

"Gaara…I…"

Gaara shook his head. "Sh-Shut up!"

He couldn't explain why he had said that. A strange emotion was running through him, one that made his face go red and made him stutter like the Hyuuga occasionally did. Gaara turned away, waiting for Hinata to say something.

She giggled softly.

The Kazekage stared at her, dumbfounded.

"…What's so funny…?"

Hinata smiled at him. "You're--You're acting as ridiculous as I once did…"

The Hyuuga went over to Gaara and wrapped her arms around him, snuggling against him. The Kazekage sighed a little, and returned her embrace.

"So…You're accepting my proposal…?"

Hinata smiled. "Of course, Gaara…And I hope it's not just because of your village's requirements."

Gaara smiled slightly.


	16. Chapter 15

Hinata silently walked into her home. She crossed the entrance to the hallway, and headed straight for her room. Sliding open the door, she entered, and quietly pushed the door shut behind her. The raven-haired girl stood silently, and then looked down at the silver object coiled around her ring finger.

She couldn't help but lose it.

Hinata squealed and blushed furiously. Her emotions were raging with ecstasy as she grabbed a nearby pillow and screamed into it joyously. Hinata sat down on her bed, laughing uncontrollably to herself. Suddenly, she looked to her door, a broad smile still on her face. Neji stood in the doorway, his face confused, his expression completely dumbfounded.

"What on the Hokage's green Earth are you laughing about?!" he said, shocked.

Hinata gave a mellow smile. She was obviously happy beyond all reason, scaring her cousin out of his mind.

Neji's eyes noticed as she clasped her hands together: He spotted the object on her finger.

"…You…You're…Engaged…To…Him…?!"

Hinata's face suddenly went pale: Her cousin did NOT sound happy.

"…Neji…You aren't happy…?"

The Hyuuga boy turned away, his hair hanging forebodingly over his face. Hinata was scared: What was her cousin thinking?

Neji suddenly turned slowly to Hinata. His face completely changed: He bore a small grin.

"…He'd better make you happy."

Hinata smiled, her joy returning. She stood up quickly and wrapped her arms around her cousin.

"Thank you for understanding, Neji…"

"…I won't have this."

Neji and Hinata turned to the door: It was Hiashi.

"Father…?"

Hiashi scowled: His expression was furious.

"I will not have the man who _raped_ my daughter marry her…No matter how happy he thinks she makes him."

Hinata stared at her father, feeling the sadness coming in the form of tears to her eyes. Neji took a step towards the Hyuuga leader.

"Lord Hiashi, there's something you don't know--!"

Hiashi shoved Neji to the side. "Silence."

The Hyuuga Lord walked over to his daughter: She stepped back in fear.

"…Father…You need to know something…"

Hiashi's face tilted to the side with slight interest. "What…?"

Hinata closed her eyes, not wanting to see her father's reaction after he heard her answer.

"I love him, father…And…And I am bearing his child…"

Hiashi's eyes widened: You think he'd have noticed. Of course, Hinata always wore those baggy freaking sweaters, so it's kind of hard to notice x.x.

The Hyuuga Lord, with one swift movement, thrust a palm across his daughter's face.

"Agh--!!!"

Hinata fell to the ground, bringing her hand up to her face. Neji stared at her, his eyes wide, then his attention shifted to the Hyuuga.

"Lord Hiashi…"

"SILENCE!!!" Hiashi roared. He glared at his daughter on the ground.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, girl! That psycho _raped _you, causing you to be pregnant with his child, and now you're marrying him?! AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY?!?!"

"Please, father, forgive me--!!" Hinata sobbed, turning her eyes to the Hyuuga standing over her.

Hinata shut her eyes tight as her father readied his hand again.

"Ugh--!!"

_THUD._

Hinata looked up: No force had harmed her. She gasped as she saw her father

unconscious on the ground. Neji walked over to his cousin, helping her off the ground.

"I knocked him out: He should be out long enough for you to get away. I'll take you to your fiancée."

"But, Neji," Hinata stammered. "Hiashi will have you punished…"

Neji smiled, taking his cousin and running out of the household. "I'll be fine. I'm the Hyuuga genius, remember…?"

……………………………….

Sakura stepped out of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, waving her goodbyes to her friend, Ino. The pink-haired kunoichi strode out onto the cobblestone street, when--

_BAM!!!_

Sakura stumbled back, falling on her rear end. She looked up at the people she had run into.

"Heh, I'm sorry, I--!!"

It was Neji and Hinata. Neji helped Sakura to her feet.

"Sorry about that, Sakura. If you'll excuse me."

Neji grabbed Hinata's arm and moved to take her away, when Sakura grasped Hinata's other arm.

"Hinata--!!"

The pink-haired kunoichi grabbed Hinata's chin, examining the dark bruise on the side of Hinata's face.

"Oh my God, what happened? Was it Gaara--?!"

Hinata shook her head. "No! Of course not! It was…" Hinata hesitated.

"It was Hiashi. Hinata told him about her pregnancy, and Hiashi slapped her. Not to mention her engagement--!"

"You're ENGAGED?!?!" Sakura exclaimed in shock.

_Inner Sakura: How did she get engaged before Sasuke asked me?! AGH, HE NEEDS TO HURRY ALONG!!! CHA!!!!_

Hinata nodded, rubbing her cheek. "Yes, Sakura, I--!"

Hinata felt another hand grasp her chin and turn her head. Hinata shut her eyes in embarrassment.

_How many people are going to come and ask me what happened…?! _

Hinata opened her eyes to find herself staring into cold, aquamarine irises.

"G-Gaara!"

Gaara stared at the dark bruise on his fiancée's cheek, his eyes fiery with rage. He moved his hand to Hinata's shoulder, grasping her firmly. Hinata gasped softly at the touch.

"Who did this…?"

"What--?"

"Who did this to you?!" Gaara demanded.

"I--My father…But please, Gaara! Don't hurt him, he just doesn't understand--!"

But it was too late: Gaara was gone. Hinata stood dumbfounded. Suddenly, she came back to her senses and grabbed her cousin's arm.

"Neji, we have to go back!"

"What--?! What is it?"

"Gaara--I think he's going to try and kill my father!!!"

……………………………….

Hiashi stood in the hallway of the Hyuuga household, silently looking out of the window. He was thinking about his daughter: Where was she? Was she with the demon again? With a small pop, his eyes tightened as he activated the Byakugan. His vision raced forward and focused on the forms of Neji and Hinata running toward the household.

_What…? _Hiashi thought to himself.

Why would they be running back, after what he had just done? Why would they…Then, Hiashi realized the truth as a presence appeared behind him.

"You fucking bastard…" a cold voice said.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed.

"How…DARE…you ask my daughter to marry you…" he said violently.

Gaara let out a low mix between a growl and a chuckle.

"…It's only right that I should marry her…I took her innocence…And she is the one bearing my child…"

Hiashi turned to the Sand ninja, infuriated.

"YOU DON'T DESERVE MY DAUGHTER'S HAND, YOU MONSTER--!!!"

Gaara's cold hand clamped itself to Hiashi's neck, slamming his back against the glass of the window behind him with such force that the glass shattered. Hiashi found himself hanging in the air, the ground two stories below him. The Hyuuga lord snickered, and glared at Gaara.

"You think this SCARES me?!"

Gaara's eyes darkened.

"No. But THIS will."

The sand from Gaara's gourd wrapped itself around his hand, giving him thick claws. Hiashi's eyes widened.

"What are you going to do--?!"

Gaara smiled.

"…The one thing that I never thought I would do again: Kill on instinct."

Gaara's clawed hand slammed shut, its claws tearing through the skin, tendons, and through the windpipe of Hyuuga Hiashi's throat. The Byakugan deactivated as Hiashi's life slipped from his body. Gaara's eyes narrowed, and he dropped the body from the window.

He watched it fall at the feet of Hyuuga Hinata, her cousin Neji standing horrified behind her.


	17. Chapter 16

Hinata stared down at the bleeding corpse of her father. His grey eyes grew dark, blood seeping from his open throat. She turned to her cousin. Neji stared down, horrified, his eyes twitching at the sight of the deceased Hyuuga lord. He looked down at Hinata.

"Hinata…This…This means…"

Hinata looked up at her cousin as tears began to accumulate in her eyes.

"What--?"

"This means…That you are the leader of the Hyuuga clan."

The raven-haired girl looked down at her father, and then up towards the broken second story window. Gaara looked down at them, his eyes wide and fiery. Hinata shuddered.

"…His eyes…They…They haven't been like that since he…He was thirteen…"

Hinata remembered the man when he was in his early teenage years: His eyes that continuously lusted for blood and death…

Hinata felt herself lose control of her feet: She threw herself forward and ran into the mansion. Neji took a step toward her, and then stopped.

"…Hinata…"

Neji turned away, hesitating for a moment, and then sprinted off toward the main city of Konoha.

……………………………….

Sakura poked absent mindedly at her steaming bowl of Ramen.

Sasuke, who was sitting next to her, looked over at her face. Her green eyes were at half mass, pointing down at the ground. The Uchiha boy reached over, and put his hand softly on Sakura's shoulder.

"Sakura…What is it?"

Sakura looked up, and smiled softly.

"I'm just…Happy…"

Sasuke tilted his head. "You don't look so happy."

Sakura smiled more. "I am, though, Sasuke….Hinata…Hinata's engaged to Gaara…"

Sasuke straightened up, and smiled a little.

"Took him long enough."

Sakura laughed a little, and got back to her Ramen. She was about to take a bite, when Ino stepped inside the Ramen bar, putting an arm on Sakura's shoulder and smiling broadly.

"Hey, Sakura! What's going on?"

Sakura looked up and smiled. "Hey, Ino. Nothing's going on, really, except for the fact that Gaara and Hinata are engaged--!"

"WHAT?!" Ino squealed. She bounced up and down happily, her blonde ponytail flailing back and forth.

"What's wrong with you…?" a voice asked.

Ino, Sasuke and Sakura turned back to the entrance to the Ichiraku Ramen bar: It was Shino.

Ino ran to Shino, reaching up and clasping his hands. She was still bright as she began to speak.

"Shino, its Hinata! She and Gaara are engaged!"

Shino made a small 'hmph' noise. "Well, took him long enough."

Sakura's head tilted over. _Is EVERYONE going to say something like that…?_

Suddenly, TenTen and Neji burst in.

"You guys! There--There's something wrong!!!"

Sakura turned. "What--?"

Neji's eyes widened. "Gaara--He…He's killed Hiashi."

……………………………….

As Hinata entered the hallway, Gaara was still in the same position: Standing silently before the broken window, his eyes focusing on the spot where her father lay. His right hand was covered with Hiashi's blood. Hinata stared at him for a second, and then she sobbed a little. She hung her head, tears beginning to come, and she fell to her knees.

"G-Gaara….Why…?"

The Kazekage turned to his fiancée.

"…I did it for you."

Hinata's head shot up, the tears in her eyes falling in different directions. She stood up on her feet, and threw herself at Gaara. He quickly clasped her arms as she stumbled forward, falling with her as she fell once again to her knees.

"Let--Let me go!" Hinata sobbed, weakly hitting Gaara's chest with her hands.

"…Hinata…"

"NO, Gaara! Just--Let me go…"

Hinata whimpered a little, and then fell against Gaara, her cries becoming more painful. She clenched onto his shirt, burying her face against his chest: Her cries became muffled. Gaara looked down at her: Why was she in so much pain?

_Her father hurt her…And even though I killed him…To save HER…She still cries…_

Gaara bit his bottom lip in slight frustration, wrapped his arms around Hinata, and held her tighter. He shut his eyes as he buried his face into the weeping girl's hair.

…_Why does it hurt her so much…? Mustn't the people that hurt us…Be punished…? _

Gaara's eyes flew open as a searing pain thrust itself into his spine.

_W-What--?!_

The Kazekage fell unconscious against Hinata. Hinata's eyes opened, and she sat up, letting him fall into her arms.

"G-Gaara…!"

Hinata looked up to see two figures in flowing, black capes, decorated with red clouds. One of the men was a blonde; the other had black hair. They both had ponytails, but the blonde's was longer.

Hinata's eyes grew wide.

"…You…"

"Hinata--!"

The Hyuuga girl looked down the hall. She could hear her cousin approaching the hallway.

…_N-Neji…_

"They won't get here in time, girl," the blonde said.

"Hinata, w-we're coming!"

…_Sakura…!_

The raven-haired girl squeaked as the black-haired man snatched Gaara out of her arms, and the blonde hauled her to her feet.

"L-Let go of me…Gaara!!!"

Gaara was still unconscious.

"They're up here."

"C'mon, hurry!"

"Hinata, where are you?!"

…_Shino…Ino…TenTen…_

Hinata watched in horror as two large, clay eagles appeared from the blonde ninja's hands. He then took himself and Hinata onto one, and she watched as Itachi seated himself and Gaara's unconscious form onto the other.

…_Gaara…_

The Hyuuga girl watched her friends appear in the broken window as she flew farther away from them, until they were out of sight.

"HINATA!!!!"

Hinata gasped, and looked down. It was Naruto: He was jumping through the trees below, desperately trying to catch up to the two eagles. Deidara smirked at the blonde ninja.

"Hmph."

He turned to Itachi.

"We're going higher."

Hinata turned quickly to Naruto in desperation.

"Naruto! Forget me! Please, SAVE GAARA--UNH!!!"

Hinata fell unconscious from Deidara's blow. She fell limply against his back. Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he began to run faster.

"Deidara, you BASTARD!!! I won't let you take someone I care about--NOT AGAIN!!"

Naruto lunged at the eagle in fury, only to be knocked back by the other eagle's wing. He fell with a crack against the trees below.

Naruto blinked, and looked up at the eagles' forms fading into the distance.

…_Gaara…Hinata…I'm sorry…_

……………………………….

…_Naruto…Gaara…What…?_

Hinata slowly opened her eyes. She tried to move her hands: They were chained to the walls.

_Walls…WHAT?!?!_

Hinata's eyes widened as she looked around her new environment. She was in a dark, empty room, with only a small amount of light coming in through a small niche in the wall. She winced, and followed the beam of light as it shone across a figure with mottled, red hair.

"GAARA!"

Hinata struggled to break free from the chains, but to no avail.

"Gaara! Gaara!! Gaara, please, wake up!" she cried desperately.

The figure began to move. Hinata watched as a sliver of green eye appeared, shining directly at her. The sliver of green widened as it caught view of her.

"…H-Hinata…"

"Gaara…" she sighed softly.

Gaara shifted, and discovered his hands bonded as well. He scowled.

"…Hmph."

Gaara thrust his hands forward, shattering the chains. He stood up, and strode over to Hinata. He bent over, resting a hand on the chains around her wrist. Shutting his hand tightly, he snapped the chains like a twig. Hinata gasped as the pressure on her wrists relieved.

The Kazekage placed his hand on her arm, and then moved down to her stomach.

"…Are you okay?" Gaara asked.

Hinata smiled softly, and held his hand that rested on her stomach.

"…We're both fine, Gaara," she said.

Suddenly, a door opened in the stone walls of the room. Gaara and Hinata both looked up to see Deidara, standing in the light with a smirk on his face.

"Well, look who broke free of their chains…" Deidara said.

Gaara's eyes narrowed, and he stepped in front of Hinata.

"Do not touch my wife."

Deidara's head tilted.

"Oh, you're engaged…?"

Deidara's head tilted to the side: His smile became twisted.

"…This makes it interesting."

"GO AWAY!" Gaara snarled, lashing out at Deidara.

Deidara laughed in amusement. He wrapped his hand around Gaara's neck, the mouth in his palm snapping down on Gaara's skin.

"Ah--!" Gaara clenched his teeth shut.

"…You're pitiful," Deidara snapped as he drove his knee into Gaara's stomach.

Gaara fell over, trying to regain his breath. Deidara took him up, and began to drag him from the room. Hinata grasped onto Deidara's arm.

"No--Please, don't take him from me…"

Deidara looked down at the Hyuuga. He smiled.

"You think I was just taking him?"

Deidara slung Gaara over his shoulder, and grabbed the Hyuuga by her arm. He pulled her up, taking her out of the room as she stumbled slightly forward. Gaara looked at her from behind, his body still hanging over Deidara's shoulder. He weakly reached out a hand, and stroked her hair. She looked back at him sadly.

"…Gaara…"

"…It's okay…I can use my sand…"

Deidara smiled. "Actually, you can't. We've taken your gourd, Gaara: Your only source of power. Not only that, this place…" Deidara looked around. "It's completely made of stone. You have no power here, Kazekage!"

Gaara's eyes narrowed as he moved his hand away from Hinata. She took her free arm and tried to reach out to him.

"…Gaara, it's okay…We'll find a way out of this…"

"…There is a way to get out."

Hinata and Gaara both gasped in surprise as they were both dropped to the ground. They looked up into the eyes of Uchiha Itachi.

"…Fight me."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Fight me, Gaara…And if you win…You'll get out."

Gaara scowled. "How can I trust you…?"

Itachi smiled. "There's no need for trust. If you win, I'll be dead, and you can save your wife over there."

Gaara turned to Hinata. She was watching them both, her eyes wide.

"…If you lose, you'll die. And so will she."

The Kazekage turned back to Itachi.

"…I accept."


	18. Chapter 17

"L--Let go of me!!"

Hinata struggled as Deidara dragged Hinata to a corner of the arena they were in. He dropped her to her floor, and watched as she glared up at him.

"I-If you hurt G-Gaara, I sw-swear, I'll--!!!"

Deidara slapped her across the face, silencing her. By the time Hinata looked up, her hands and knees were bound to the ground by clay. Hinata struggled, trying to get free as Deidara walked out of the room. The Hyuuga whimpered, and went limp. She looked up at the figures of Gaara and Itachi in the distance.

Gaara looked around the large, stone room that surrounded him. The walls were solid rock, and the floor was made of smooth marble. There were transparent, dried blood stains in certain spots of the room. The Kazekage turned to his enemy, his eyes narrowed with rage. Itachi smiled.

"Well, now that you don't have the support of your sand, what--!!"

Gaara thrust his fist at Itachi, but the Akatsuki leader caught it in his hand. He thrust Gaara back and punched him across the face. The sand shield covering his skin cracked as he fell back. The Kazekage pushed himself off the ground, when an idea struck.

"It's over, you fool!" Itachi shouted as he lunged at Gaara. He thrust his fist forward at the Kazekage.

SHHHHFFFFFF!!!

Itachi's fist skid across a blockade of sand. His red eyes widened.

"It's--Not possible!" Itachi looked up, realizing that Gaara's face was cracking even more.

"You…You're using the small amount of sand from your sand shield…" Itachi grinned behind his cloak. "…That makes things a lot simpler."

……………………………….

"This is where I tracked them to! They have to be here!"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stepped quietly through the dark, stone halls. The torch lights dimly lit the path as they ran down the hallway; the only sound in the distance was their footsteps.

"Hey, this place is reserved…" a voice said in the darkness.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stopped.

"W-Who's there?!" Sakura shouted.

The three ninja cautiously stepped forward into the shadows. A massive figure began to appear.

"What is that…?" Naruto said, struggling to see in the dark.

As they approached it closer, they realized what it was: A massive clay figure, with strange wings and a seemingly screaming face.

Sasuke stepped forward towards it. "What on Earth--?!"

Naruto grabbed him and pulled him back.

"RUN, IT'S A--!!!!"

_FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

The figure burst into flames, and exploded.

……………………………….

Hinata jerked up. She looked towards the exit.

…_What was that…An explosion…?_

Hinata frowned, and then turned back to the battle taking place before her.

Gaara wasn't doing well.

Itachi was throwing blows at him, but Gaara was blocking every blow with the sand he had from his shield.

But that wasn't the bad part.

Gaara was slumping over now. As he used his sand shield up, he became weaker. He was coughing up blood, and his breathing was slow and soft. His eyes were half mass as he watched his adversary, his hair drooping over his face. The sand shield continued to protect him.

Itachi stopped throwing his punches. He looked irritably at Gaara.

"…Enough playing."

Itachi thrust himself at Gaara. Gaara watched in slight horror as the Akatsuki broke through the weak sand shield protecting him, clasping his hand around Gaara's neck. Itachi stared deep into Gaara's cold eyes, and murmured two words.

"Mangekyou Sharingan."

_The world around Gaara disappeared. _

_He was standing alone, his body still weak and crumbling. He looked around in the darkness, his eyes wide. He was hearing that sound again._

…_That crying. _

_He looked ahead of him: It was the girl. The young girl from his dreams. _

"…_You…" _

_Suddenly, he watched as she grew. She grew older before his very eyes. Now, she was as tall as he was, her bangs long, hiding part of her face. Her crying slowed, and turned into screaming. Gaara stepped back as he watched her form turn into that of a demon's, its dark shadow looming over him. _

"…_GAARA, LOOK OUT!!!" _

_The shadow lunged itself at Gaara. Its massive teeth opened up, ready to snatch up the Kazekage…_

…_But all he felt was a spray of blood trail across his face. _

_Gaara looked down at the figure that had blocked the blow. It was Hinata. She slowly looked up at him._

"…_Gaara…It's okay…Now…"_

_She fell limp to the ground. Gaara knelt over, trying to bring her back._

"_Hinata!" he shook her. "HINATA--AGGHH!!!!!"_

_Gaara dropped her body as a series of massive teeth plunged through his body. The demon opened its mouth, releasing him, and swung its massive claws at Gaara, slashing him across his chest. He fell to the ground, blood spilling from his wounds and from his throat. _

_He turned slowly to Hinata's body._

"…_I've…I've…Failed you…"_

"AAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!"

Gaara fell to the ground, clenching his head and screaming in pain. Itachi looked down at his pitiful form, placing his foot on Gaara' side.

"…You're weak, Gaara. Without your sand, you're nothing."

Itachi picked up Gaara by his neck, turning his head to Hinata. She was staring at him in disbelief, crying.

"…And you can't save anyone."

……………………………….

Deidara stepped on the fallen rocks. The hallway was filled with smoke, and debris littered the floor. He smiled at his work.

"…Who would've thought…That these ninja are so easy to kill…"

Deidara suddenly turned to a noise in the debris. A clawed hand reached out from under the rocks.

"…Naruto."

Naruto pulled himself out from under the rocks, along with Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto turned his red and yellow eyes up to the Akatsuki, baring his sharp teeth.

"…Come."

Deidara smiled, creating small birds, sending them after Naruto. Naruto swiped them away, sending them exploding in different parts of the room. Deidara thrust himself at Naruto, stabbing him with a kunai knife. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Heh…I'm not that easy to kill," Deidara said.

POOF.

The body of Naruto disappeared. Deidara stared in surprise. Suddenly, two hands placed themselves on either side of Deidara's head. Naruto leaned forward, and whispered in Deidara's ear:

"…Neither am I."

Naruto forced the Akatsuki's head to the side, bared his fangs, and drove them into Deidara's neck. The Akatsuki gasped and choked. Naruto closed his jaw with a growl, thrashing his head, ripping Deidara's throat out. The Akatsuki fell dead to the ground.

Sasuke and Sakura watched in horror as Deidara fell at their feet. They looked up at Naruto, who had blood dripping from his open mouth. His eyes narrowed, and turned away from his friends.

"…Let's move…"

Sakura and Sasuke nodded, and followed after.

……………………………….

Itachi threw Gaara relentlessly to the side. Gaara's limp body slid across the marble. He had no power anymore. No more chakra. No more ability to control his sand.

It was over.

Gaara lay there, staring down at his blood, which began to soak the cold marble. He placed his hands down on the ground, and pushed himself back up. He choked as he got up to his feet, stumbling weakly.

Itachi chuckled as he approached Gaara again. He reached out to grab Gaara's throat.

"D-don't you TOUCH HIM!!!"

The Akatsuki turned to Hinata: She was struggling vigorously to get free. Her eyes were wide, tears streaming down her face. Her wrists were raw and bloody from struggling, and the blood stained the torn sleeves of her sweater.

"If you hurt him, I'll--!"

"You'll WHAT?" Itachi scowled. "What can you do?!"

Itachi grasped Gaara by the back of his shirt, pulled him up into the air, and threw his body at Hinata. He hit the ground, skidding across the marble and coming to a halt on front of her. Hinata stared at his limp figure in horror.

"…Gaara…"

Suddenly, the clay around her wrists and ankles fell away. She reacted by quickly throwing her arms around Gaara.

Itachi watched in surprise.

…_Deidara…He must have been killed…That means her friends are coming…_

Gaara, gasping for air, slowly looked up at Hinata. She was staring down at him, sobbing softly.

"…Gaara…Please…Don't leave me…"

The Kazekage wheezed quietly, and slowly turned his green eyes up to Hinata.

"…Hinata…Did I fail you…?"

Hinata's eyes widened. She shook her head and smiled softly as she began to cry a little more.

"No, Gaara…It's going to be okay…"

Gaara slowly pushed himself up, and rested his head on Hinata's stomach. Hinata looked down at him in surprise.

"…Hikari…"

Hinata sobbed a little. "W-What…?"

"…That's…What I want her name to be…Hi-Hikari…"

Hinata whimpered softly. "T-That will be her name, Gaara, but--but you'll be here to see it! I--Gaara!!!"

Gaara began to cough, blood seeping from his lips. He looked up at Hinata.

"…Hinata…Forgive me…I…I love…You…"

Hinata smiled, tears falling still, and leaned forward. She pressed her lips softly against Gaara's stroking his hair lovingly. Sitting up, she looked down at his face.

His eyes had closed forever.


	19. Chapter 18

Hinata's eyes widened in disbelief.

He was dead. He was dead AGAIN.

She pulled his body close to her, holding him tight. Hinata began to sob harder, her cries becoming louder and more painful. She looked up at his cold face, reaching out and stroking his cheek gently.

"…Gaara…I…No…Don't go…"

Itachi stared at the girl kneeling before her. His eyes narrowed.

"Shut up. He's gone."

Hinata looked up at Itachi, whimpering.

"Why…Why would you do this…?!"

The Akatsuki glowered at Hinata. He smiled evilly.

"The boy was only in the way. Wouldn't you want him dead, Hinata?"

Hinata's eyes widened.

"…What…?"

"After what he did to you…He raped you…"

Hinata lowered her eyes.

'_Gaara, please don't--Ah..!'_

"…He killed your father…"

_She looked down at the dead body of her father and then up to the looming form of Gaara. _

"…So, why would you still love him…?"

Hinata slowly raised her head. Her grey eyes brimmed with tears.

"...I loved him…"

Her eyes suddenly faded into yellow, catlike irises.

"…Because…HE WAS MY CHILD'S FATHER!!!!"

……………………………….

Her scream rang out through the halls.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stopped as the noise reached them.

"That--That was Hinata!" Sakura exclaimed.

Naruto sniffed the air: His transformation excelled his senses. His blue eyes widened, and he looked ahead.

"…Gaara…"

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "What…?"

Naruto looked down.

"…I can smell it…Gaara…He's gone."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"…You mean…Again…?"

Naruto nodded.

"He's dead."

Naruto looked up, and sniffed the air again. His expression turned confused.

"…But…The Shukaku…It's still alive."

……………………………….

"What--What's going on?!"

Itachi watched as Hinata slowly raised herself from the ground. An aura wrapped itself around her, shining golden-brown. Long ears extended from it, but they were ocean blue. Her eyes were catlike and yellow, and they glowered violently at Itachi.

"Th--This isn't possible!"

Hinata's mouth opened, a booming roar emitting from her throat. She thrust her head forward, sending a massive wave of energy screaming at Itachi. The Akatsuki was sent flying back, crashing into the stone wall. He fell to his feet on the ground, looking up.

Hinata was on all fours, and she scowled angrily at Itachi.

"You will regret this day!!!" she roared in an inhuman voice.

She ran at Itachi, who crossed his arms, ready to block her. Hinata jumped at Itachi, her arm pulled back, ready to throw the first blow.

"WAIT!!!"

Hinata stopped. She stepped back, still snarling.

"Get out of my WAY, Naruto!!!" she shouted.

Naruto had put himself in between Itachi and Hinata. Sakura and Sasuke ran up to him.

"Naruto, what are you doing?!" Sakura shouted, staring at Hinata's form.

Hinata's catlike eyes narrowed, staring at Naruto.

Naruto frowned. "I'm sorry, Hinata…"

He turned to Sasuke, and then back to the Hyuuga.

"…But it's Sasuke's destiny to kill Itachi."

Hinata stared at him for a moment: Her catlike irises thinned.

"…I don't have time for this…"

She raised her hand, and with one strike, thrust Naruto out of her way and sent him skidding across the marble. Itachi stared down at the girl, who was growing fiercely at him.

"…I'll…make you pay…"

She lunged herself at him again, and this time, she thrust her hand across his chest, ripping the cloak and cutting two hollow slashes into his chest. Itachi fell back in shock and in pain. He winced, and looked up as Hinata threw herself at him once again, her sharp teeth bared.

_WHUD._

Instead of colliding with Itachi, Hinata fell to the side. Sasuke withdrew his hand from where he had hit her.

"…I hit her at a pressure point. She will be out for a while."

He turned to his friends, and then back to Itachi.

He was gone.

"W-What?!" Sasuke looked around wildly.

"…Did you really think I'd die that easily…?"

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura looked up.

It was Deidara, along with Itachi. They were on one of Deidara's clay eagles.

"What--?!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"…I think you, of all people, Naruto, would know a clone when you see it," Deidara said, smiling. He turned to Itachi.

"…I don't know about you, but I've had my fun. Shall we?"

"Let's," Itachi replied.

The eagle let out a high screech, and flew off into the darkness of the cave.

"NO! Come back here--!" Sasuke shouted, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Heh…Let it go, Sasuke," Naruto said, smiling.

The aura from Hinata's body had faded. She lay on the marble floor quietly: The Hyuuga was out cold. Naruto smiled, and then turned to the form of Gaara. He walked over silently, staring down at the beaten Kazekage as he got closer.

"…It seems we're here again, old friend…"

Sakura and Sasuke approached behind him. Sakura looked away.

"…Naruto…I'm sorry…"

Naruto looked up at her, and smiled.

"Hey, you're an expert medical ninja! It'll be oka--!"

"NO!" Sakura shouted, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "I can't bring him back from the dead! I'm good, but not THAT good!!!"

Naruto frowned, his eyes narrowing, as he turned back to Gaara. He rested a hand on Gaara's chest, gripping at his shirt.

…_Please…Please come back…_

Naruto shut his eyes tight as tears began to form in them.

…_I…I can always do only the smallest things…For Gaara…_

He turned as Sakura began to sob a little more, and Sasuke put an arm around her, not wanting to see her upset.

…_Why…Why can't I just…Bring him back…?!_

Naruto raised his eyes.

…_I…Have to try…!_

He put both hands on Gaara's chest. Sakura and Sasuke stared at him.

"Naruto, Gaara is DEAD! We can't do anything for that!" Sasuke shouted.

"I have to try!" Naruto snarled. "I can't let Gaara die! For his friends, his siblings,"

Naruto's eyes shifted to Hinata's form.

"…BUT MOSTLY FOR HINATA!!!"

Red chakra roared from Naruto's hands, swirling around him, causing Naruto to scream in a mix a rage and agony. The red chakra began to pulsate itself into Gaara's body, flowing through his bloodstream and into the vital organs of his body.

Nothing was happening.

"C'mon, Gaara, COME ON!!!" Naruto shouted, his eyes becoming more yellow as he used up the fox chakra.

The fox chakra began to rage faster through the Kazekage's body, pounding into his heart. It swirled through his organs and moved to the chakra points, refilling them with energy and life.

…And then, Gaara's heart beat.

His eyes shot open.

Gaara quickly sat up, heaving a bloody cough as he gasped for air. He looked around wildly, his vision blurred from shock.

"Wha--What's going on?!"

A hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up.

"…Naruto…?"

Naruto smiled. 

"…Hey, we couldn't let you die again, Gaara!"

The Kazekage looked at the other ninja.

"…Sasuke…Sakura…"

"…And besides," Naruto continued. "You have a lot more to live for now…"

Gaara's eyes widened as everything that had happened came back to him.

"H-HINATA!!!"

Gaara stumbled to his feet, running over to the Hyuuga's unconscious form. He put his arms around her and pulled her body to him.

"…Hinata…Are you…?"

For a second, he feared she was dead. He shut his eyes tight, wishing that her corpse was just some fucked up dream.

Suddenly, a soft hand gently rested on his cheek.

"…Gaara…?"

Gaara opened his eyes to see the Hyuuga staring back at him. She smiled softly.

"…Gaara…I…It's going to be…Okay now…"

The Kazekage smiled, and his eyes lowered.

"…I…I need to rest…Hina…"

And with that word, Gaara blacked out from fatigue.

……………………………….

Okay, if you're all wondering why I didn't just KILL Itachi, it was because…SO I CAN KILL HIM MYSELF!!!

….Kidding. I'm kidding.

I didn't kill him off because I personally think that Sasuke should be the one to eat him alive, and I'll just wait for that to happen in the manga or something.

…How troublesome.

..Deidara gets kudos for his "Art is a Bang" shtick…Nah, he'll die…Somehow…Someday…gets a shotgun . 


	20. Chapter 19

Gaara's eyes slowly opened.

…_I…I must have blacked out again…_

His eyes slowly inspected his new environment: He was in Suna again, but this time, he was in one of the hospital rooms.

…_Naruto must've taken me here…To the hospital, so someone could watch over me…_

He turned his head to look around: Hinata was nowhere to be seen.

…_Hinata…?_

Suddenly, his brother, Kankurou, skid into the room. He went over to Gaara's body, hesitated for a second, and then started shaking him.

"Dude, c'mon, WAKE UP!!!"

Gaara's eyes flew open. "Kankurou, what the hell--?!"

Kankurou stared for a second, and then let his poor brother go.

"God, you're FINALLY awake!"

Gaara tilted his head to the side. "…How long was I out…?"

"You've been unconscious for three days, man!" Kankurou said, holding three fingers up.

The Kazekage stared at his brother for a second, wondering why the puppeteer was so worked up. Then, a thought struck Gaara's mind.

"Kankurou--Where's Hinata?!"

Kankurou smiled, then put a hand behind his head (as anime characters do when they are nervous).

"Well, that's kind of what I came in here to--!"

Gaara stood up and grabbed Kankurou by his collar.

"WHERE IS HINATA?!"

Kankurou stumbled back.

"She's in _labor_, dude! Geez, you don't have to be so--!"

Gaara shoved Kankurou out of the way, and sped down the hall. Kankurou poked his head out of the room, and watched as nurses and patients alike dodged the Kazekage as he ran.

……………………………….

As Gaara got closer to Hinata's room, he could hear her screams of pain. He frowned in slight worry, and slowed to a walk as he approached the door. The Kazekage hesitated for a second: Was he ready for…_This?_ He shook his head, and strode quickly into the hospital room.

As he walked in, one of the doctors immediately came to him.

"Well, took you long enough to wake up," he said.

"Let me go to Hinata," Gaara said sternly, not wanting to hear her painful screams.

"Um--Yes, but be careful," the doctor hesitated.

Gaara watched the doctor get back to his work, and quickly made his way to his fiancée's side. He bent over, clasping her hand and raising another hand to her face in order to get her to look at him. The Hyuuga's hair was slightly messy, and her forehead was drenched with sweat, as if she had a fever. She struggled to smile softly at Gaara, but her smile quickly went away again as she cried out.

…_My God, a woman has to go through all this--?! _Gaara thought as Hinata held his hand tighter.

"G-Gaara…!" Hinata choked out between her gasps for air.

Gaara looked at her for a second, and then smiled softly.

"…Hinata--It's okay, I'm here," he said.

Hinata managed to smile as her cool, grey eyes stared softly back at him.

"…Gaara, thank y--AHH--!!!"

Hinata thrust her head back, the fiery pain in her lower body becoming too much to handle. Her grip on Gaara's hand became even tighter, causing the Kazekage to wonder whether she was going to snap his hand or not.

"Come on, Hinata, you can do this!" one of the doctors encouraged, even though she probably didn't hear him much.

Gaara looked down at the doctor delivering his child, when he noticed the blood that stained the bed sheet covering Hinata's legs. The Kazekage turned slightly red and quickly looked away.

"Alright, Hinata," the doctor said loudly. "Just a few more pushes and it'll be over! C'mon, girl, you can do it!"

Hinata shut her eyes tight as she struggled, her heavy breathing and gasping taking place of the screams that had come before. Gaara bit his bottom lip, a little worried that something would happen to cause her more pain. He rested his free hand under her head, trying his best to comfort her. The Kazekage winced as he noticed he had no more feeling in the hand Hinata was gripping onto.

"A-AHH…!"

Gaara watched in surprise as Hinata took her free hand, clung onto him, and pulled him close enough to her so that she could bury her face into his shoulder.

…_I guess women act strange when stuff like this happens…_

The Kazekage noticed as Hinata's eyes began to well up with tears, and she let out a muffled scream into his shoulder.

"Hinata, we need you to work with us!" the doctor delivering the baby said. "C'mon, Hinata, listen to me!"

Hinata slowly raised her head from Gaara's shoulder.

"Hinata, we need you to give us one more push, okay? Just one hard push and it'll be over! C'mon, Hinata, you can do it!"

The raven-haired girl pushed harder, clenching her teeth shut until she let out a small cry, her hand gripping even harder on Gaara's. Even Gaara had to clench his teeth on that one.

Then, Gaara looked up as he heard a sound coming from the delivery doctor: Crying.

The Kazekage looked at Hinata. She was gasping for air, but she wasn't crying anymore. Her eyes were half closed, and she stared at Gaara with a faint smile. Gaara replied by reaching up to her and kissing her gently on the forehead.

They stared at each other happily for a second, when the doctor tapped Gaara gently on the shoulder. The Kazekage looked up.

"You have a daughter, Lord Kazekage," the doctor said, smiling, as he offered Gaara the bundle in his arms.

Gaara stood up, carefully taking it from the doctor's arms. He looked down at the small figure that lay quietly in his arms.

It was a baby girl. Her head rested gently against Gaara, her hands resting on her chest. Unlike some babies, she had hair: Her head was covered with short, red strands. Her fragile body was wrapped in a dark red blanket. Gaara stared down at her, seemingly entranced by the new figure.

"Gaara…"

Gaara turned to Hinata, who lay, smiling, staring up at him. The Kazekage smiled, pulled up a chair next to Hinata's bed, and sat down next to her. Hinata moved closer to him, smiling down at the face of her daughter.

"…Hikari…" Hinata said gently.

Gaara looked at Hinata for a second, and nodded. Suddenly, Gaara looked down as a small noise came from the child in his arms.

The baby opened her eyes: They were a bright aquamarine, like that of Gaara's. Hinata smiled, and placed a hand on Gaara's cheek, turning his face towards her.

"…She has your eyes…"

Gaara looked down at his daughter, who stared up at him.

"…Hikari…"

The Kazekage bent his head down, and kissed his daughter gently on the forehead.

…_This is my daughter…_

Gaara raised his head, and smiled softly at his fiancée.

…_This feeling…Is it…Happiness…?_

……………………………….

Naruto stood below the balcony of the building, along with Sakura, Sasuke, and the rest of Sunagakure. People in the crowd were chattering with one another.

"Do you think Lady Hinata is okay?"

Naruto smiled. _Hehe. **Lady **Hinata._

"I wonder if the heir had been born already!"

"How do you think Gaara's holding up?"

"Gaara may have a wife, but his fan club will live on!!!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the girl who had said that. She stared at him for a second and turned away.

"You guys, look!"

All eyes turned up to the balcony two stories up: There stood Gaara, staring at something in his arms. A gentle smile was on his face. Naruto beamed and waved his arms.

"Hey, Gaara!"

Gaara looked down.

"Is that…?!"

Gaara turned, and lifted the child so that everyone below could see her.

A voice came from the crowd.

"All hail the heiress of Suna: Sabaku no Hikari!"

A loud cheer rang up from the crowd, and Naruto jumped up along with everyone else. Feeling ecstatic, he focused all his chakra to his feet, and ran up the side of the building to the balcony where Gaara stood. He jumped down next to him.

"Hey, congratulations, Gaara!" Naruto said, smiling.

Gaara smiled back at him, then looked down at Hikari. She was staring, wide eyed, at Naruto.

Naruto bent over, examining the baby's face. He smiled broadly, baring his canine teeth.

Hikari gave off a small laugh, like all babies do when they see something they like.

Gaara turned to Naruto. "I guess she likes you."

Naruto smiled, tilting his head to the side.

"Hehe, who doesn't?"

The Kazekage laughed a little, then turned back to Hikari.

……………………………….

Sakura sat impatiently at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, along with Sasuke, Shino, Ino, TenTen, Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, and Kiba. They were all waiting for Naruto to return, to give them details on Hinata, Gaara and their new kid.

"Hey, Neji!" Kiba said, playfully punching him in the arm. "Are you excited about being an uncle?"

Neji rubbed his arm where Kiba had punched it. "I…Guess it will be nice."

Kiba smirked. "Great! Now I can start calling you 'Uncle Neji'!"

Neji scowled. "You better not."

"UNCLE NEJI, UNCLE NEJI!!" Kiba shouted.

Neji scowled and turned away.

"Hey, everyone!"

All eyes turned to a figure approaching the stand.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, waving at him.

Naruto hastily ran into the stand, smiling, and walked over to Neji.

"Hey, Neji! You're an uncle!"

Neji looked up, and smiled a little.

"So, is Hinata okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's fine," Naruto said, smiling. "She and Hikari are doing really well."

Sakura smiled. "Is that the girl's name? Hikari?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah! She's got Gaara's eyes, and a little red hair!

Kiba twitched a little. "G-Gaara's eyes? You mean…"

Naruto scowled. "No! I just mean that she has aquamarine eyes!"

Kiba sighed. "For a second, I thought you meant she had black outlines and no eyebrows! That would've been one scary--!"

Sakura punched him angrily upside his head. "SHUT UP!!!"

……………………………….

Gaara gently placed the sleeping form of Hikari in her cradle. He kissed her softly on the forehead, and turned away.

…_Thank God we already had her room ready before she was born…_Gaara thought.

The Kazekage walked down the hall and stopped at the entrance to his and Hinata's bedroom. He walked up to the bed and stared down at Hinata's form, sleeping peacefully. Gaara smiled, reached out to her and stroked her hair gently. Hinata shuddered for a moment, and then quietly woke up. She rolled over, meeting her husband's gaze. She smiled warmly at him.

"Hn…Hey there…" she said, her voice sleepy.

The Kazekage went to the other side of the bed and settled himself down. He moved to lie next to Hinata, gently wrapping his arms around her. They stared into each others' eyes silently for a second, until the raven-haired girl fell asleep. Gaara smiled faintly, and then kissed his wife gently on the forehead.

…_This…This really is what happiness feels like…_

Gaara sighed, and, whether he should fall asleep or not, he closed his eyes.

……………………………….

OMFG, IT'S OVER!! x.x…Okie. I'm…going to go eat something. starved

…Oh, and by the way…I'll already say that I am coming out with a third story…It's about the next generation of the Naruto characters:D The story will take place 14 years after Hikari's birth, and the children will be of:

Gaara + Hinata (Well, no DUH! x.x)

Sasuke + Sakura

Neji + TenTen

Shino + Ino (XD!!!)

Shikamaru + Temari

…And the 'son' of Orochimaru!!!...Actually, it's just a teenage clone…BUT WHO CARES!?!?!?! XD

…Oh, and there will be another child named Imani, whom Naruto takes in as his own after--Oh, I can't tell you yet. :P

Anyways…Be watching out for my next story: DNA!!!


End file.
